


take me back

by marvelousmsmol



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Needs a Hug, Badass Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Badass Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Major Illness, Past marikim, Post-Hawk Moth Defeat, Pre-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, School Reunion, aged up AU, high school sweethearts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:01:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 27,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23182915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvelousmsmol/pseuds/marvelousmsmol
Summary: After graduation, Marinette Dupain Cheng moved to New York, fashion school acceptance letter and internship approval in hand. Adrien Agreste left France, garnering playboy rumors and tales of the string of lovers he leaves behind everywhere he goes. Now, both are called back to Paris by duty, not as superheroes, but by the bonds of friendship. Determined to leave again after the wedding is over, both try their best to fight the emotions of their resurfacing past, but if Ladybug and Chat Noir are truly meant to be together, fate will stop at nothing to bring them back together, even if they don't know who was behind the mask.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alix Kubdel/Lê Chiến Kim, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 75
Kudos: 244





	1. The Bachelorette Party

“Yes, I’ll be back next week. No, you can go ahead and send me some of the designs for review. I’ll have time to work from my hotel room,” Marinette said as she wheeled her suitcase behind her. It had barely been five minutes since she got off the place before she was on the phone with her assistant. Technically, this trip was supposed to be a vacation for her, but Marinette didn’t like taking time off if she couldn’t help it. “Just make sure that they use a princess seam on the prototype. I changed the design layout a little while ago. They should have been sent the new version. Yeah, go ahead and have them send me a picture when they finish.”

Marinette squealed in surprise as she felt her bag being tugged away from her. She turned around to scream at whoever had stopped her, only to stop in her tracks when she saw who it was.

“You passed me about three cars down,” Alya said. “Honestly, watch where you’re going, girl.”

Marinette pulled the phone back up to her ear. “Ben, I’m going to have to call you back. Yes, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

She hung up, slipping her phone into the pocket of her jacket. Marinette and Alya looked at each other in silence for a few more moments before they were hugging each other and jumping up and down with delight. 

“Look at you,” Alya said. “I was almost afraid to stop you, power walking down the sidewalk in business mode.”

“I’m sorry,” Marinette said, kissing Alya on both cheeks. “Things got hectic at the office before I left, but there was no way I was going to cancel this trip.”

“Good thing. I would have flown all the way to New York and dragged you back here,” Alya said. 

Alya helped Marinette put her bags into the trunk of the car, opening the door for her to climb into the back seat. 

“Everything alright for you back there, miss?”

“Nino,” Marinette said, smiling. “Everything is just perfect. Thank you for picking me up.”

“No problem. Alya and I have been making plans since the moment Alix said you RSVPd,” Nino said. “We were happy to give you a lift.” 

Alya climbed into the passenger seat, closing the door behind her. “You’re checking into the hotel early right?”

“Yeah, you guys can take me there,” Marinette said. “I figure if the wedding’s going to be held there anyway, I might as well just stay there now.”

“Nino and I are excited to get away for the weekend,” Alya said. “It’s been pretty hectic living at his parents' place while we wait for the move-in day for the house.” 

“Wait,” Marinette said, waving her hands. “You guys bought a house? When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Well,” Alya said, looking at Nino with a smile on her face. “We wanted to tell you in person-”

“Honestly, this is the kind of news that can only be talked about in person,” Nino added.

“Exactly,” Alya said. “Which is why we waited to tell you that… We’re having a baby!”

“WHAT?!”

“I’m pregnant!”

Marinette sat in stunned silence, just looking at her friends. She honestly couldn’t believe what she was hearing. It was crazy enough that she was back in Paris for the wedding of the fifth and sixth people to get married from her old lycee class, and the third couple from that class to get married to each other, no less, but now couple number one was taking the next step in their adult lives. She blinked, trying to formulate words, till her face broke out in a smile and tears formed in her eyes. “You’re guys are going to be amazing parents.”  
“Aww, M,” Alya said, leaning across the partition between the front and back seats and pulling her friend into a hug. “Don’t cry. Please. I’m emotional enough as it is already these days. I don’t need a crying best friend adding to that.”

“Yes, please,” Nino said, throwing his head back with a sigh. “Please no more unnecessary crying. We’ll have more than enough of that when the baby is actually here.”

“Shut up, Lahiffe,” Alya said, smacking her husband on the arm. “You just have to deal with it.”

“You’re right. I do,” Nino said. He leaned over and kissed his wife on the cheek. “It’s worth it.”

Marinette watched from the back seat as the pair pressed a quick kiss against each other’s lips. They both seemed so happy, so in love with one another. Marinette felt a sour feeling building up in her stomach, making her smile falter. She quickly tried to replace it. “I’m so happy for you guys.”

“Thank you, M,” Alya said. “Now, let’s get you to the hotel so you can get out of those gross plane clothes. Alix’s bachelorette party starts in five hours and you need to be prepared. Not just because everyone will bombard you with questions about your fabulous New York job, but also because now that I have to eat for two, you have to drink for two. I need you to drink your entire weight in alcohol tonight and my own.”

“Babe,” Nino said. “You’ll only torture yourself by watching.”

“I really, really want a glass of wine,” Alya groaned. “M, you have no idea how awful it is. Be thankful you’re still living the single life.”

“Hey!”

“Yeah,” Marinette said, forcing herself to laugh a little. “It really is great.”

\------------------------------

Marinette paused at the door to the club, letting out a deep breath as she placed her hand on the handle and pulled it open. The pounding of the bass came at her full blast, causing her to flinch slightly as she stepped inside. Strobe lights were flashing everywhere, the light hurting her eyes. In all honesty, a loud and overly stimulating club was not what she would have picked for her own bachelorette party. Marinette considered herself to be much more of a “pajama sleepover while drinking champagne” type of gal. Still, this was Alix’s night, and Marinette would never openly complain about the choice of venue. She’d gone to a club before, but only for work parties, and even then, she held a strong dislike for them. 

Having arrived late, Alya had texted Marinette to meet them in the lounge they had reserved for the night. Nino had hooked them up, apparently giving the girls an insanely good discount for the added privacy. Marinette was certainly grateful, too, not at all liking the sea of people that were in the open space of the room. It was too loud, too crowded, and most likely too gross and sweaty. Making her way to the lounge, Marinette pulled out her “power walk, business mode” confidence level, keeping her eyes directly in front of her and a “don’t mess with me look” held firmly on her face. She was keenly aware of the stares she was getting. The red bodycon dress did wonders for her figure, she knew this, but she didn’t want people thinking that it was an invitation. She had never been more relieved than when she made it to her destination. 

The excitement in the room when up by at least twenty percent when Marinette made her entrance. She received a flurry of hugs and kisses as the girls she grew up with pulled her over to one of the couches, while Alya immediately passed her a drink. Marinette took one sip before setting it aside, and thankfully Alya was too drawn into a conversation to notice. She knew that her friend just wanted her to relax and have fun while she was away from her hectic work schedule, but drinking did nothing more than increase her worries. 

Alix turned her attention fully to Marinette, “Kim and I were so excited when you RSVPd. We couldn’t very well have the wedding without you.” Alix leaned in closer, talking to her in a whisper. “I still can’t thank you enough for finally helping us get together. I know you two were close, but-”

“Don’t worry about it,” Marinette said, waving her off. “I’m not one to stand in the course of true love. Especially when it’s two people who are so clearly meant to be together. I saw it even all the way back in high school. Why do you think Kim challenged you to all those stupid dares all the time?”

Alix laughed, smiling fondly at the memories. “Nevertheless, I’m inclined to return the favor. I’ve got a couple of really cute cousins coming to the wedding.”

“Tell her Adrien is coming back,” Rose shouted from across the room. 

“What,” Marinette asked. “How do you know? He never RSVPs to these things.”

“I know,” Alix said. “I was surprised, too. He showed up to both Nino and Alya’s and Ivan and Mylene’s weddings unannounced, but Kim and I got his letter in the mail two months ago.”

Marinette frowned, propping her head up in her hands. Alya leaned across from the other side of the coffee table between them. “What’s that look for?”

“What look,” Marinette said, popping back up and plastering a smile on her face. 

“Don’t try to hide it,” Alya said. “You got all pouty.”

“I did not!”

Marinette felt slightly taken aback as all the other girls around her nodded. 

“You really haven’t seen him since our wedding,” Mylene said. “That couldn’t have been the only time the two of you have met up. He’s been New York just as much as he’s been in Milan or Amsterdam.” 

“Adrien Agreste and I have somehow managed to avoid each other in the fashion world for years now,” Marinette said. “I’m not sure if that’s a blessing or not, but he seemed to not really want to talk to me the times we have crossed paths.”

“Do you think he still feels guilty about standing you up after the graduation party?” Juleka blurted out. Rose promptly slapped her on the arm. 

“I’m sure he doesn’t,” Marinette grumbled, now eyeing the alcohol Alya had gifted her earlier with temptation. “Otherwise he would have apologized for it a long time ago.”

“Well, the way you look now, I’m sure he would be,” Alix said, looking Marinette up and down in her dress. 

“Okay, can we please not talk about my failed, barely a relationship-relationship,” Marinette said, shutting her eyes tight. “We only dated for like five days before he disappeared, and I don’t blame him for leaving Paris. He had good reason to.”

A silence fell across the room, so hushed you could hear the pounding of the bass from outside the walls. Rose cleared her throat, her maid of honor mode clearly taking over as she grabbed a glass of champagne in her hand. “Right, now is not a time to be focusing on the past. We should be celebrating the future, specifically the happily domestic future of one of our own. To Alix!”

“To Alix,” The other girls cried, raising their own glasses. 

\----------------------------

By the time Marinette had made it back to her hotel room, it was already the early hours of the morning. She had managed to dance the night away, drinking only enough for her to forget her troubles. It was clear that this would be another week of avoiding questions from people. They could ask her about her work, they could ask her about living in New York, but Marinette knew to save herself from the conversation when things got too personal. Tonight had been no different, having to pull attention away from the questions about the night of their graduation. It wasn’t painful for her because Adrien had stood her open, opting to get on a plane instead and get the hell out of the country. She had discovered that Gabriel Agreste was Hawkmoth that night too. In fact, Marinette had been the one to unmask him. Adrien had probably been called to the police station for questioning once Mr. Agreste had been arrested. 

Marinette slipped off her heels, making her way into the bathroom. She took off her make-up, pulled her hair out of its bun, and took her nightly pills with a glass of tap water. It might have been a little late for her medication, but she wanted to fall asleep and these would certainly do the trick. 

She couldn’t take another second thinking about what she had lost. The Ladybug earrings were no longer hers. Her partner was no longer by her side. It wouldn’t do her good in her current situation to dwell on any of that now. So, when Marinette crawled under the covers of her hotel room bed, she passed out immediately.


	2. The Bachelor Party

Adrien stepped up to the door, bouncing on his feet as he contemplated knocking. Kim’s bachelor party was tonight, apparently, something much more laid back than what the girls were doing. Even though Adrien had been invited to the wedding, he hadn’t said he’d be back in town in time for this, and wasn’t sure if he would be really welcome. Adrien pulled one of his hands out of his pocket, his fist hovering over the door. He felt stupid just waiting outside in the hallway, but the fear that he would be turned away was stuck in the back of his mind. 

Just as Adrien was about to knock, the door opened on its own, revealing Nino looking down at his phone. “Yeah, I’m just going to go pick up the pizza, and-,” Nino looked up, his eyes widening. “Adrien.”

“Hey, man,” Adrien said, a nervous smile appearing on his face.

“Dude,” Nino said. “What are you doing here? You weren’t supposed to be here until Thursday.”

“I got on a plane early,” Adrien shrugged. “Sorry to drop by unannounced.”

Nino stared at him for a moment more before pulling Adrien into a hug. “It’s really good to see you.”

“Yeah, you too,” Adrien said as he pulled back. “Uh, you mind if I come in?”

Nino chuckled and stepped back allowing Adrien to walk inside. “Why not? 

Adrien stepped inside the apartment, shrugging off his coat and hanging up on a hook next to the door. There was music playing from the kitchen, and a few people sitting on the couches, engaged in conversation. 

“Is that a stripper!” Kim’s voice shouted from the kitchen before appearing in the doorway.

“Uh, slight difference in profession, Kim,” Adrien said, stuffing his hands back in his pockets as he went back to swaying on his feet awkwardly. Everyone was now well aware of his presence. 

“No way,” Kim said, setting down his glass on a table. “Is that Adrien fucking Agreste in my house?”

“Nice to see you,” Adrien said. Kim scooped him up in a big hug, practically pulling Adrien off the ground. He let out a groan as Kim squeezed him tighter. “Uh, hey, buddy, you’re kind of crushing my ribs.”

“Oh, sorry,” Kim said, setting Adrien back down. “Look at you, man. I’m so glad you’re here. Alix and I have been super excited about getting the whole class back together.”

“Well, I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Adrien said, still a nervous tone in his voice.

“Come on, take a seat,” Kim said, gesturing to couch where everyone else was gathered. “I’ll get you something to drink.”   


Adrien waved his hand awkwardly at the others on the couch. Max offered him a small smile, while Ivan waved back. Nathaniel walked in from the living room, stopping in his tracks as he saw Adrien. “Well, this is certainly unexpected.”

Adrien rubbed his hands together before standing up. “I’m sorry. This was a bad idea. I shouldn’t have interrupted your night,” Adrien said as he started moving towards the door. “I’ll just let myself out.”

“Woah, woah, woah. Hold on,” Kim said as he came back from the kitchen with an extra glass in his hand. “Sit your ass back down, Agreste.”

Doing as he was told, Adrien slowly lowered himself back down in his seat. Kim pushed the glass of alcohol into his hand. He took a sip of his own drink before turning his eyes back to Adrien. “No one is pissed that you’re here. In fact, I’m excited. This is exactly what Alix and I wanted for our wedding. All of our old friends back together.”

“Really,” Adrien said, his eyes lighting up. “I still should have probably called first.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Kim said, waving his hand vaguely. “I kind of like the surprise more.”   


Adrien felt himself relax more, and soon he was leaning back in his seat, his third drink in his hand. He was laughing along with the jokes that Nino and Kim were telling and even a few of Max’s. When Nino left and came back with pizza a few minutes later, Adrien was completely content with his decision to show up tonight. 

“Alix and I fought about which group would get to go out tonight, but I’m kind of glad I lost that battle,” Kim said. “This is nice.”

“Still, it would have been nice to go out,” Nino said. “Why didn’t you guys decide to do the joint parties?”

“Chloe told us not to,” Kim said with a shrug. “She’s throwing that party because everyone was going to be back in town, and thought it would be better if we all got to hang out then. I don’t know.”

“Did everyone really show up,” Nathaniel asked. “Most of us are so spread out now.”

“I think Chloe would have put the fear of God in them if they hadn’t,” Kim said. “I was skeptical when Alix said she was hiring her as our wedding planner, but I don’t think we could have gotten anything done without her.”

“Alya and I picked up Marinette from the airport today,” Nino said. “We finally got the chance to tell her about the baby.”

“Wait,” Adrien said, sitting up straight. “Alya is pregnant?!”

Nino’s face froze, his whole body freezing and turning rigid. “Shit, I’m sorry, man. I forgot we hadn’t told you yet.”

“You could have called me,” Adrien said. “This is big news!”

“Well Alya insisted on telling everyone in person and we didn’t know you were coming back so early,” Nino said. “But, surprise! My wife is having a baby!”

Adrien blinked, suddenly feeling that awkwardness settle in again. Until now, he hadn’t realized just how separated he felt from the rest of his friends. His constant traveling and refusal to ever live permanently in the city again had taken him away from his friends, forcing him to watch their lives from a distance. It wasn’t a surprise that he missed a few things along the way. The really important stuff he would hear about, but there was no catching up on their day-to-day lives. Adrien didn’t realize exactly how horrible he felt about not being kept in the loop as much. 

“Are you guys doing okay,” Adrien asked, suddenly worried that there was something else he should know. “It’s too early to tell the gender right?”

“Yes,” Nino said, laughing. “Lighten up, man. You look a little pale right now. Are you feeling okay?”

“No, no. I’m fine,” Adrien said, shaking his head frantically. “I just didn’t realize-”

“Dude, you are really busy with work and you’re moving around constantly,” Nino said. “I’ll try to call you more in the future I promise. I’ll keep you up to date on everything. Of course, it would be nice if you had any big, life-altering events you wanted to update me on.”

“Nino,” Adrien said with a sigh. “You know I’m not the kind of person to-”

“To settle down, meet someone nice, get married,” Nino asked. “You prefer to love them and leave them right?”

“Those are just tabloid rumors!”

“Calm down, I know,” Nino said. He was laughing and the others were doing a very bad job of hiding their own laughter. “Alya and I pick up a magazine every time you’re on the cover just to see what they have to say about you. Some of it is genuinely pretty hilarious.” 

“I enjoy the stories about your drug problems,” Ivan said. “Seeing as how you practically almost died the one time you tried to smoke a cigarette.”

“Those things are disgusting,” Adrien shouted in his defense. “And all the models they take pictures of me with are just friends!”

“We know,” Everyone shouted in unison. 

“No matter what anyone in the press says, we know you’re still a goody-two-shoes,” Nino said, patting his friend on the back.

“Maybe something will change for you this weekend,” Kim said, elbowing Adrien in the ribs. “I have a few cute cousins, you know.”  
“I’m not really interested in anything like that right now,” Adrien said.

“Come on, when was the last time you had a girlfriend,” Nino asked.

“Uh, never.”

“What,” Max asked. “But you and Marinette dated for a total of five days, sixteen hours, and twenty-seven minutes.”

“Yeah, five days,” Adrien said. “I’d hardly say that time frames make us count as being boyfriend, girlfriend.”

Nathaniel whistled, looking at the ground awkwardly. “Don’t let Marinette catch you saying that.”

“Okay, while that may be true,” Nino said. “You guys were still very obviously obsessed with each other, and it was nearly impossible to separate the two of you.” 

Ivan nodded in agreement. “That’s true. I think all of us know at this point that you always snuck off during Akuma attacks together, and you reappeared at the same time.”

“What?! No,” Adrien said. He knew that that didn’t happen, but there was no way to explain it without revealing his secret identity. “Mari and I didn’t do that.”

“You still call her by her nickname,” Kim said. “That’s adorable.”

“It’s just a shortened version of her name,” Adrien said, crossing his arms defensively.

Nino shot straight up, point a finger gun at Adrien. “You still like Marinette!”

“No, I do not!”

“Hey, no lying,” Kim said. “This is my bachelor party! You’re not allowed to lie!”  
Adrien fumbled, looking for the right thing to say. He couldn’t deny that his cheeks had flushed significantly in the last minute, in a way that couldn’t be blamed on his alcohol consumption. “Can we just drop this, please?”

“Oooh,” Nino said, giving Adrien a sly look. “I’m so setting you and Marinette back up this weekend. Alya will help me. We’ll start the fan club back up again.”

“What fan club,” Adrien asked. 

“The Adrienette Fanclub,” Nino said matter-of-factly. “It’ll be like getting the band back together!”

“I call treasurer,” Max shouted.

“This is so weird,” Adrien said, shaking his head as he stood up. “I’m going to the bathroom. You all can continue this conversation without me.”

The other yelled at him as he left, apologizing, but clearly laughing as they did so. Adrien shut the bathroom door behind him and leaned against the counter. Coming here hadn’t been as had as he had thought, but with all the nostalgic air in the room, it had been hard trying to maneuver conversations away from memories he’d rather not dwell on. The past did nothing but make Adrien feel guilty for everything he left behind when he first left Paris. Adrien was happy to see everyone again, but learning not to associate the people he still wanted to friends with to a time in his life he wanted to run away from was difficult. 

Adrien was forcing himself to enjoy his time here, afraid that he would only want to run away again at the end of the weekend. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me on tumblr: @marvelousmsmol


	3. Say Yes to the Mess

The third time the phone rang was the time Marinette rolled over and fumbled for it on the nightstand. Her eyes weren’t even open when she accepted the call and pressed it to her ear. “Hello?”

Marinette flinched as she was immediately met by a yelling voice. “Marinette you have to help me! They fucked it up! They fucked everything up!”

“Woah, hey slow down,” Marinette said, sitting straight up in bed. “What’s going on? What’s wrong?”

“They ruined the dress,” Alix yelled over the phone. “I went in for my final fitting this morning and they ruined the dress!”

Rubbing her temples, Marinette climbed out of bed, heading for the bathroom so she could start putting herself together while she was still on the phone. “What’s the problem with it?”

“There was supposed to be a lace covering over the skirt of the dress, but when I went in for my fitting today they’d removed it and now it looks so plain,” Alix said. “Do you think you can do anything?”

“Let me get ready and I’ll come straight over and we can talk options,” Marinette said, already picking up her toothpaste while balancing the phone between her ear and her shoulder. “Okay?”

“Okay,” Alix responded, though it sounded as though she were on the verge of tears. “Text me when you’re on your way.”

“Will do,” Marinette said, trying to sound as sweet and as calm as possible. Once she hung up the phone, Marinette let out a deep sigh, looking herself in the mirror. “You can do this. It’s not like you haven’t had to do rush alterations before.”

\-----------------------

Adrien woke up later than he would have liked and with the greatest hangover of his life. He wasn’t quite sure where he was, but he knew that he wasn’t in his hotel room. Adrien rolled over onto his side and found himself landing on the floor with a hard thud. Opening his eyes completely, he saw that the bed he had thought he had been sleeping on was actually a living room couch. Adrien groaned as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. He flinched slightly as a glass of water was pushed in front of his face, and his eyes traveled up to see the angel who had brought it to him.

“Alya, you are my hero,” Adrien said, readily accepting the glass of water and the Tylenol she had also been carrying with her.

“Don’t sweat it,” Alya said. “I knew I’d have to take care of you two when you showed up last night leaning on each other for support.”

“Sorry,” Adrien said. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble for you guys.”

“Adrien,” Alya said, a stern, motherly tone appearing in her voice. “I already said don’t worry about it.”

Nino stumbled into the living room, plopping down on the couch next to Adrien, almost kicking him in the head as he did so. “Sorry,” Nino said. “We did not do a good job at not drinking last night, didn’t we?”

“Hey, I was planning on stopping,” Adrien said. “You and Kim are the ones who dared me to keep going. I had to uphold my honor then.”

“You boys are so stupid,” Alya said, joining them with her own glass of water. “We didn’t get nearly as crazy last night.”

“Uh, that’s because you weren’t drunk, babe,” Nino said, teasing her. “And, more 

importantly you and Marinette weren’t drunk together.”

Alya sat straight up, her eyes widening. “Oh, shit! I was supposed to call Marinette this morning and see if she got back to the hotel okay last night.”

Nino and Adrien turned to one another as Alya got up off the couch to grab her phone. They looked at each other, raising their eyebrows as if silently communicating, though Adrien wasn’t quite sure what Nino was trying to say. Adrien shrugged, mouthing a “what” to him. 

“Dude, when are you going to see Marinette,” Nino said. 

“Uh, I was hoping to run into her naturally,” Adrien said, suddenly feeling a little nervous. 

“I don’t know if it’s okay for me to seek her out after all this time. We didn’t even get to say goodbye to each other before I left Paris because of… you know.”

“You didn’t even say goodbye to her,” Nino said, quirking an eyebrow. “Dude!”

Nino reached over and punched Adrien in the arm. The blond hissed in pain, pulling his arm away out of Nino’s reach. “What the hell, man?”

“I am very disappointed in you,” Nino said. “How could you do that to her? Is this why you were so defensive about the fact that the two of you never technically dated?”

“No,” Adrien said. “It was just a lot to process. My father-”

“Marinette would have helped you through it,” Nino said. “She’s the best of us when it comes to that.”

“I didn’t want to drag her down with me,” Adrien said, shaking his head. “She deserves better than that.”

Nino seemed to be about to say something else when Alya walked back into the room, her purse slung over her shoulder. “Alix is in crisis mode with the wedding dress. Marinette’s already gone over there to look at it and make alterations. I’m going to pick up some coffee and breakfast to bring with her.”

“We’ll come with you,” Nino said quickly, jumping up to his feet. He stood, swaying a little before dropping back down on the couch.

“Yeah, no,” Alya said, snickering at how ridiculous they both looked at the moment. “Take some more time to recover.”

Alya walked over and kissed Nino’s forehead. “Take your time. We’ve got nothing going on today.”

As soon as Alya left the apartment, Nino sat forward, grabbing the remote off of the coffee table. He turned to Adrien with a smirk. “Ultimate mecha strike IV?”

Adrien sat, pondering for a moment. “Yeah, why not?”

********

By the time Alya walked into Alix’s and Kim’s apartment, she found Marinette already there. Both women were standing in front of the dress, which was hung up in front of the window, looking at it with nervous and worried expressions.

“It’s really not that bad,” Marinette said. Alya knew she was lying, having listened to Marinette rant about how hideous she thought that kind of silhouette was, and that those kinds of beading patterns made clothes look like 1980s monstrosities. “It won’t even be that hard to fix.”

“Really,” Alix said, looking at Marinette with a hopeful expression. “You’re sure?”

“Of course,” Marinette said. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. It’ll be in good hands with me.”

Alya cleared her throat, causing both Marinette and Alix to turn towards her. “I brought some food and coffee. Where’s Kim?”

“He’s been banished to the bedroom till Marinette leaves with the dress,” Alix said. “I’ll go get some plates.”

As soon as Alix had disappeared into the kitchen, Alya walked up to Marinette, speaking in a harsh whisper. “Why are you lying to her? That’s the ugliest fucking dress I’ve ever seen.”  
“I know,” Marinette said, glancing back at the giant mess of a dress. “It’s so bad, but I don’t want Alix to worry. She showed me pictures of what it looked like when she bought it. I don’t know how anyone could fuck up that bad.”

“Are you going to be able to fix it,” Alya asked, passing Marinette the to-go cup of coffee she had brought her.

“Yes,” Marinette said. “I’ve already got like ten different ideas bouncing around in my brain. I’ll just need to run to the fabric store, and then shut myself up in my hotel room and possibly not go to any of the events we had planned between now and the wedding.”

“Marinette,” Alya said in a warning tone. “You cannot overwork yourself. This was supposed to be a vacation for you.”

“I know, I know,” Marinette said. “I’ll try and not push myself too hard.”

“Nino and I will pick you up for dinner every night,” Alya said. “You should at least get one meal a day in you.”

“Thanks,” Marinette said. She sighed and walked over to the dress. Standing up on her tiptoes, she pulled it off of where it was hanging and stuck it back in the dress bag. “Let’s have breakfast and then I’ll get back to the hotel and get started on this.”

“Good idea,” Alya said, setting the bags of food she brought down on the table. They washed any looks of worry off of their faces as Alix walked back into the room with plates. The girls sat down to eat together, and a little while later, half of Kim’s face peeked through the kitchen doorway.

“Is the dress put away yet,” Kim said.

“Yes,” Alix answered. “You can come on out and join us now.”

With the bubbly mannerisms of a child, Kim jumped through the doorway and hoped into a seat at the table, dishing up his plate. Alya and Marinette laughed as Kim began the shovel his face with food, but Alix knew that this was just any other day, completely ignoring her fiance. 

“Thanks for taking care of this, Marinette,” Kim said. “Alix and I owe you even more now.”

“Yeah, you set us up and now you’re the savior of our wedding,” Alix said. “Don’t worry, there’ll be a toast in your honor.”

“Hey, it’s no problem, guys,” Marinette said. “Honestly, it’s my pleasure.”

“Just make sure you don’t throw yourself too much into work,” Kim said through a mouthful of food. “This is supposed to be a vacation for you, right?”

“How can you and Alya say exactly the same thing,” Marinette asked, a small smile appearing on her face.

“Well, Alya is your best friend,” Kim said. “And we lived together for two years, so I know you’re working habits pretty well. Also, we both care about you, so of course, we’re going to tell you to take care of yourself.”

“Kim hit it pretty much on the nose,” Alya said. “Jesus, if only my ex-boyfriends were this nice to me.”

“How can any of us be mean to little Mari here,” Kim said, reaching across the table and ruffling Marinette’s hair. “It’s practically impossible.”

Marinette pushed his hand away as she set down her fork. She tried to hide the frown that appeared on her face, masking it at her distaste towards Kim’s actions. No one seemed to comment on the silent exchange Marinette and Kim had afterward. His serious expression and her annoyed one battled each other for a few moments before they returned to normal, but Marinette had received his message.

 _Take care of yourself,_ His eyes had conveyed. _It’s more serious than they know._

Pushing her chair back from the table, Marinette stood up. “Well, I think I should go get started,” She said, grabbing her purse and slinging the dress bag over her shoulder. “I’ll text you guys with updates and fabric swatches later.”

Alya and Alix both enthusiastically bid her farewell, while Kim uttered a soft goodbye. She was out the door within a few seconds and breathing a sigh of relief that she was away from the tension in that room.

******

When Alya returned to her apartment, she wasn’t at all surprised to find that Nino and Adrien were still sitting on the couch. They were focused on the TV screen, their hands moving furiously on the game controls. Alya was sure they hadn’t even noticed that she had walked in. 

“Babe,” Alya called from the kitchen as she set her keys down. “We have to pick up Marinette with the car later!”

“Why,” Nino called back.

“She needs to get stuff for Alix’s dress,” Alya said. “We have to take her to the store.”

Alya walked back into the living room to find that Nino had paused the game, a sly smile on his face, one that Alya couldn’t decipher the meaning behind.

“Let Adrien do it,” Nino said.

“Hey,” Adrien shouted, throwing his controller down on the couch. “No way!”

Alya noticed how nervous Adrien seemed to be. His hands were fidgeting his lap as he desperately tried not to brush back his hair from his face, his immediate nervous tell. Alya pursed her lips, her thoughts clicking into place as she understood exactly what Nino was going for here. 

“Okay, you’re right,” Alya said. “We do have to pick up your parents from the train station today. Sorry, Adrien. It looks like you’ll be chauffeuring Marinette today.”

“What? No,” Adrien said, his face turning an embarrassing shade of pink. “But, I-”

“I’ll text you her room number,” Alya said. “You have to pick her up at 14h.”

Adrien tried to protest more, but his objections fell on deaf ears. Alya high-fived Nino as she passed going back into the bedroom. She had always thought of herself as the matchmaker of the group, but it seemed that Nino would temporarily be taking over that job for the time being. She was going on maternity leave eventually, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me on tumblr: @marvelousmsmol


	4. Of all the gin joints...

For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, Adrien was standing on the outside of a door, feeling extremely insecure about whether or not he should be there. He cursed Nino for the fifth time since his friend had pushed him into the driver’s seat of his car, promising Adrien that he would regret it if he didn’t go see Marinette now. It was easy to remind himself that just walking into the lobby wasn’t a crime, but getting on the elevator, walking the hallway to her room, the thought was enough to make him feel like he was going to throw up.

“Jesus, Agreste,” Adrien muttered to himself. “When did you become such a scaredy-cat?”

With a sudden burst of confidence, Adrien pushed open the door to the lobby. As he was halfway through the threshold, he collided with someone, unfortunately sending the person tumbling to the ground. “Oh my God,” Adrien said, reaching down to help them up. “I’m so sorry. I-”

Adrien froze, not believing what was right in front of him. Marinette looked so different than he remembered. Gone were the twin ponytails she wore back in school, replaced by a short hairstyle that just barely met the edge of her jawline. She looked sophisticated, beautiful. The only thing that had remained the same was her gorgeous bluebell eyes that managed to still make him melt at the sight of them, even after all this time. 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Adrien said slowly.

Marinette looked down at the ground for a moment, a confused look passing across her face as she tried to compose herself and smooth out the wrinkles on her clothes from her fall. After a moment, she looked back up at him. Her mouth drew into a straight line, her eyes wide, before splitting into a nervous grin. “Hi- Hi, Adrien.”

Adrien desperately tried to hold back a laugh. Her nervous and awkward attitude clearly hadn’t changed. He remembered this expression perfectly from the time when they were still “just friends.” The times when they had strolled along the Seine holding hands or had picnics in the park where she laid with her head in his lap, or when kisses on the cheek were given in more than just greeting. It saddened him to think that he was back to seeing that Marinette, and no the confident girl she had been during the time they had officially dated. 

“What a coincidence,” Adrien said, forcing himself to speak so they could end the awkward moments of silence. “I was just coming here to find you. Nino and Alya send their regards, but something came up unexpectedly.”

“They sent you here just to tell me that,” Marinette said with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, they also sent me to act as your chauffeur in their place,” Adrien said. He stepped back, giving her a mock bow as he gestured to where his car was parked on the sidewalk. “Might you allow me to escort you today, my lady?”

Marinette quirked an eyebrow at his choice of words, while Adrien froze in his bent-over position. It had been a long time since the words “my lady” had left his mouth and never had he spoken them to any other woman besides his partner, someone he hadn’t seen in years and he doubted he ever would again. Adrien didn’t know what caused him to slip back into his old Chat Noir mannerisms, first with the natural cat pun and now with the cheesy, chivalrous act, but there was definitely something strange in the air.

Jumping back up to his old height, Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, turning so his arm was blocking Marinette’s view of his face as it turned a bright shade of red. 

“You’re still such a dork,” Marinette said, breaking out into a laugh. She walked past him towards his car, and Adrien rushed in front of her to open the passenger side door. Once he had closed it, Adrien let out a deep breath, silently praying for someone to hit him over the head before he slipped up and acted like an idiot again. 

******

Marinette didn’t quite know what to make of the fact that Adrien Agreste had shown up at her hotel, claiming that Alya and Nino had sent him in their stead. She wasn’t about to complain though. She knew exactly how much time she had to go pick up fabric and get it back to her hotel room before dinner. Even though Alya had said that she and Nino wouldn’t be able to take her to the store, she did promise that they were still on for dinner tonight. If Adrien was offering, then she would take it. 

The only thing she wasn’t sure of was if she was prepared for the awkwardness that would ensue. Sure, she and Adrien had seen each other since school. There had been other weddings, but they hadn’t exactly spoken. He had left early at both and she had been busy as a member of the bridal party. In fact, Marinette and Adrien hadn’t been alone together since school. 

It was already beginning, too, as Marinette sat in silence, her eyes straight ahead in the passenger’s seat of the car. Adrien was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, trying to keep himself occupied as they moved down the street. Marinette swore she would hit him upside the head if he started whistling. He used to always do that whenever he was impatient or nervous. At one point, she thought he had managed to break the habit, but clearly not. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed him pursing his lips to start whistling a tune and turned to him with a stern look. “Don’t even think about it.”

Adrien looked at her, baffled.

“How did you even-”

“You used to do that all the time,” Marinette said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I hated it.”

“Yeah,” Adrien said letting out a breathy laugh. “Yeah, I remember.”

After that, Adrien seemed to become very conscious of his nervous habits. His eyebrows were drawn together in concentration. Marinette glanced over at him everyone once in a while, watching his focused expression. She had to cover her mouth with her hand to stop herself from laughing. Adrien glanced over at her, his expression turning more confused for a few moments before looking disapprovingly at her, frankly, uncontrollable outburst of laughter. The shake of his head only succeeds in making Marinette laugh more. 

When they reached the fabric shop, Adrien shut off the engine and raced to the other side of the car to open her door before she even had her purse in her hand. Marinette roamed up and down the aisles, and Adrien seemed content to just follow behind her. Occasionally, she’d ask him to pull down a bolt of fabric that was higher than she could reach. He obliged, stretching his arms above his head and bringing it down for her to look at with much ease. Marinette would certainly never comment out loud about the fact that after all this time, Adrien had managed to retain his fit physique, having still been in the modeling business past his teen years, but she sure would think it. If Adrien noticed her on and off ogling, he certainly didn’t say anything. 

“You know,” Adrien said, pulling down the fifth bolt of lace fabric for Marinette to examine. “I'm feeling a bit of nostalgia.”

“How come,” Marinette said, forcing herself not to look at him. He’d probably have some dumb, sweet smile on his face, so she turned her attention to the lace instead. 

“We used to do this all the time,” Adrien said. “On weekends, me taking you all over the city to find the perfect fabric for your new project.”

Marinette hummed in response. She, of course, was listening to what he was saying but wasn’t exactly present at the moment. Marinette bit her lip, rubbing the piece of fabric between her thumb and her forefinger, trying to decide if it would work for what she had in mind. 

Adrien chuckled, watching her intently. “I see you’re still as wrapped up in your own mind as ever.”  
“Huh, what,” Marinette asked, snapping back into reality. 

“Nothing,” Adrien said, peeling the fabric from her grasp. “I’m just waxing poetic about the past in a way that I think you would disapprove of.”

“Disapprove,” Marinette said. She tried not to scoff. “What makes you think I disapprove of the past.”

Adrien paused, seeming to go to some distant place before he pulled himself back into reality to open his mouth. “ _I cannot look anywhere but the future. The restrictions and conventions of the past should be thrown off like shackles if we truly want to find our freedom and express ourselves as we were meant to, regardless of traditions or a false sense of nostalgia,_ ” Adrien said. “Your words.”

“You’re pulling that out of context,” Marinette said. “I was talking about fashion. I can’t believe you read that article.”

“You don’t think I don’t keep tabs on you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Adrien said with a smile. “You don’t think I point out every time your name appears in a magazine to every photographer, model, and designer I know and tell them that I knew you back in school?”

Marinette blushed slightly and looked away, wishing she was still holding the fabric so she could hold it in front of her face. Before her face could get any more heated, Marinette pulled the bolt of fabric from him. “I’m getting this one.”

“Allow me,” Adrien said, taking it back from her and heaving it over her shoulder as he headed off towards one of the cutting tables. Adrien waited patiently as she paid and carried her bags, putting them in the backseat of his car. “So, what’s next on the agenda?”

“Well, I need to get some applique, but I can do that tomorrow if you have somewhere else you need to be,” Marinette said. 

“Marinette, I’ve cleared my entire schedule for you,” Adrien said. “Not that I had anything to do today anyway.”

“Okay then,” Marinette said, settling into the passenger’s seat. _“Simrane,_ please, monsieur.”

 _“Simrane_ it is,” Adrien said, starting the engine and pulling back onto the streets of Paris. 

Their next stop was fairly far away from where they were now, and, coupled with the traffic, it would take them a fair amount of time to get there. Marinette decided to relax and just watch the scenery as it passed by. She was surprised by how at ease she felt. Earlier in the day, she thought that being stuck in the same place as Adrien for so long would have been a painfully awkward experience, and, well it had started out that way, they had quickly fallen back in sync with one another. It is stupid to say that it was as though no time had passed between them, and Marinette felt like part of her should still be angry with him for leaving so suddenly and without a goodbye, she had long since forgiven him for that. 

“Do you miss it here,” Adrien said. “Living here?”

Marinette pondered her answer for a moment. “I guess so,” She said. “It’s hard to leave any place you love behind, but in some cases, it’s better to move on.”

“Yeah,” Adrien nodded in agreement. He swallowed anxiously. “I miss being here, too, but the memories-”

“You don’t need to elaborate,” Marinette said. “I understand.”

And, she did. Everything in Paris, the rooftops, the Eiffel Tower, which was hard to miss, only succeed in making her think about Chat Noir and Tikki, two people she would never see again. It was all one big reminder of Ladybug, and now she had another important job in her life, one she had looked forward to and worked for. 

“Still,” Adrien continued. “It’s nice to be back. Even if only for a week.”

“Yeah,” Marinette said in agreement. She paused for a moment, and then her face lit up with an idea. “You should come to dinner with us tonight.”

“Are you sure,” Adrien said. “I don’t think I was invited.”

“Why the hell wouldn’t you be,” Marinette said. “Even so, it’s my dinner, so I’m inviting you. We’ll probably still be out by the time we need to meet them. Come to dinner.”

“That one sounded like an order.”

“It is,” Marinette said, crossing her arms. “You said you cleared your schedule for me, so this is going on the itinerary.”

Adrien pursed his lips as if thinking about his options. He remembered that saying no to Marinette was something that wasn’t exactly easy to do. He had never had a strong enough will to deny her hardly anything, but she made up for his sacrifices with plenty of her own. “Okay,” Adrien said, smiling at her. “Why not?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> find me on tumblr: @marvelousmsmol


	5. How do you say...

As Adrien walked through the door of the hotel room that he had only just finally checked into, despite having already been in Paris for over twenty-four hours, he quickly deposited his suitcase on the bed before making his way into the bathroom. A splash of cold water on his face wasn’t enough to stop the quick unraveling of his composure, and as much as he tried to calm the nerves that were spreading from where his heart sat in his chest to the tips of his toes, it was a losing battle. 

_“So, dinner with Nino and Alya was good,” Adrien said. He definitely meant the dinner itself was good. Nino and Alya, however, had been relentless in their teasing and had spent most of the meal giving side glances between Marinette and Adrien. He thought he’d be relieved to be away from them and back in the safety and solace of his car. He just hadn’t thought about the fact that Marinette would be joining him. It had been hard enough to be in such close proximity to her in the corner booth of the restaurant. Now, she was only a few feet away from him again in the passenger seat of his car._

_“Yeah, good. Great,” Marinette said, looking out the window. “Good.”_

_…_

_“You didn’t have to drive me back you know,” Marinette said. “I could have called a cab.”_

_“Well,” Adrien said, a breathless laugh escaping his lips. “Your bags were already in my car, and I’m staying at Chloe’s hotel, too.”_

_“Oh,” Marinette said. “I didn’t realize.”_

_“It’s fine,” Adrien said, waving his hand about vaguely. “When I got off the plane the other night I didn’t exactly make it to the hotel. I went straight to Kim’s, ended up crashing on Nino’s mom’s couch, and then came to get you, so-”_

_“You haven’t slept in an actual bed in over 48 hours?”_

_“No…”_

_“God, when did you become such a hot mess?”_

_“Well, I don’t exactly have you around to take care of me anymore.”_

Far past trying to quell the feelings of mortification and awkwardness he had, Adrien banged his head repeatedly against the wall. The word “stupid” seemed to be running through his mind underneath the memory, like two tracks playing on top of one another. If he had many any promises to himself about the way he most certainly would not act around Marinette, they had been broken the second he’d said those words. 

Adrien hadn’t exactly seen the look on her face after the comment had been made. Frankly, because he had been too cowardly to face her. He could only imagine the look of embarrassment and awkwardness that ensued.

*********

 _“God, when did you become such a_ hot _mess?”_

That’s how Marinette remembered it. 

The emphasis on the word had been her undoing. While it was no secret that Adrien Agreste was extremely attractive (he had more than his fair share of magazine headlines proclaiming him the “sexiest man alive”), she didn’t need to remind him because 1) he’d always had a large enough ego that didn’t need to be any further stoked and 2) that wasn’t exactly the kind of thing she got to say anymore.

Marinette could justify the comment as being common knowledge, but the history that she held, what he had meant to her in the past and vice versa, crossed a different kind of line. Friendly teasing would be something she would be allowed to do, but this wasn’t that. 

Friendly teasing was what she had with Chat. The two of them could push each other’s buttons. She allowed him to call her nicknames, to flirt and smile at her, and even on occasion, she would do the same. It wasn’t serious, it wasn’t going to lead to anything more. For a while, that’s what she and Adrien had been like after Marinette had finally found the courage to be able to talk in coherent sentences to him. 

But, she and Adrien had left friendly teasing far behind them, and she couldn’t go back to that lonely island now. 

Marinette pondered on that fact as she laid in bed, a half-empty glass and two pills in her hand. There had to be some way for her to be normal around him again. Normal was the only option. They couldn’t exactly be friends so suddenly again, at least, not in her opinion. They’d been apart for so long, and not to mention the fact that he had left without warning. Sure, he hadn’t been the only friend she lost, but she wasn’t quite sure how to proceed. Chat Noir hadn’t come back in the years gone by either, and she was sure there would probably be some reservations between her and Tikki if she ever saw the Kwami again. 

Besides, Marinette was on a different path now. Her job and career that she had built was not something she’d ever dream of giving up. Not for anything. She was so distant from everyone, and it wasn’t just the ocean separating her from the people she’d known. 

Without a thought, Marinette took her nightly medication pulled the covers over her.

*****

_“So, I was thinking,” Adrien said as he helped Marinette unload her bags. He felt guilty about not helping her carry them up to her room, but Marinette had insisted that she was more than capable of doing it on her own. “I was thinking that since you and I are both here already, maybe we could go to the party together tomorrow?”_

_Marinette stilled. “You mean like together- together?”_

_“Uhhh-” Adrien’s eyes widened as he realized the exact way he had phrased the question. “No. No, no, no, no, no. No. No. I just meant that we could walk in together. I mean, you’re doing the wedding dress… thing, so someone should come up to remind you that it’s time to take a break and come drink with your friends.”_

_“I’d, uh- I’d appreciate that,” Marinette said. “If you don’t Alya will, and that would be much less pleasant.”_ _  
__“Good,” Adrien said, nodding firmly. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Are you- are you sure you don’t want help carrying that up to your room?”_

_“Yeah, I think I got it,” Marinette said, lifting up one of the bags slightly. “Goodnight, Adrien.”_

_“Goodnight.”_ _  
_

Adrien flopped down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. His fingers grasped the fabric of his shirt, trying to stop himself from clawing through it and his chest and tearing his own heart out in frustration. If Adrien had been a little more confident, he might have told Marinette yes, that he was asking to go to the party with her, but he knew that the question would be forward. Adrien was quite familiar with the inner workings of Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s mind. She was slow to progress and easy-going. She wouldn’t appreciate someone- anyone- being so forward as to request her on his arm for the evening, less so someone who had previously had the pleasure of her company and then gave the privilege away without a goodbye. 

Still, Adrien wouldn’t deny that the only thing he’d wanted over the years was to be back by her side. Leaving Marinette had been his greatest regret, above even not realizing his identity to his Lady before it was too late. Girls had certainly thrown themselves at his feet over the years, intrigued by his line of work and parentage, somehow the idea of being the son of Hawkmoth had made him even more desirable to some, though he could only imagine why, but none of those girls had been Marinette. None of them had mattered. 

Adrien knew that Marinette had moved to New York and had often considered calling on her whenever he was in the city, but, at first, he was afraid of what she would think of him, and as time went on that fear only grew. Now, he was flat out terrified and facing her again. They hadn’t had that conversation yet, but deep down Adrien knew that they should, especially with the lingering feelings that he had been trying to put a lid on. They’d boil over at some point. 

He’d have to ask her at some point, and it would have to be before he left again. 

That was his ultimatum.


	6. Past and Present

Marinette had woken up probably around eight-thirty that morning, skipping breakfast in favor of picking up a sewing machine from one of her contacts in Paris as a favor. Thankfully, her hotel room had a big enough desk for her to set up a workstation, and, once she got the go-ahead from Alix, went to work on transforming the, frankly hideous, wedding dress into another Marinette Dupain-Cheng masterpiece. 

She had been sustaining herself throughout the day with the free coffee the hotel provided and a call to room service at lunch. No doubt that her back would be sore after spending the day hunched over the desk, but it would be worth it. She was running short on time to finish the dress, but now Marinette had finished with most of the silhouette and could begin putting the applique on tomorrow morning. From what Alix had shown her of the original dress, Marinette could tell her friend was aiming to be the traditional bride, and she hadn’t expected anything less. The design elements Marinette had decided to incorporate would reflect that. 

Marinette was only broken out of her working mode when a sharp knock at her door sounded through the room. She shot straight up in her seat and looked over to the clock with wide eyes. Marinette groaned in frustration as she realized she was already late for the party downstairs. Quickly, Marinette finished what she was working on and shut off the sewing machine. She rushed to the door throwing it open before going back to hang up the unfinished dress.

“Looks like I was right in thinking you might need someone to come get you,” Adrien said as he stepped into the room. Marinette hadn’t even looked at him yet but started muttering apologies. “Don’t worry about apologizing to me. Chloe might hound you for being late though.”

Marinette rolled her eyes as she zipped up the dress bag. “They can afford to miss me for a few more minutes.”  
“How long did you work today,” Adrien said, glancing around the room at the room service tray and bits of loose thread that were scattered on the floor. 

“All day,” Marinette said. “I don’t have the luxury of a few good months and time to spare on this dress.”

Marinette wandered into the small bathroom, pulling her hair out of its ponytail and brushing through it to get the knots out. Adrien shifted awkwardly on his feet as he waited by the door. “Can you grab the heels by my bed?”

“Yeah, sure,” Adrien said, rushing off to do her bidding. Marinette turned back to the mirror, focusing on her appearance. Sure, she had the faintest look of lost sleep around her eyes, but it wasn’t anything that concealer couldn’t fix. She had just begun applying the makeup when Adrien started speaking from the other room. “So, why did you agree to fix the dress anyway? I’m sure Alix and Kim would have let you say no.”

“Besides the fact that they're my friends, and I love them both dearly,” Marinette said with a scoff. Adrien appeared in the doorway with her shoes in hand. She took them and started slipping them on her feet. “I suppose because I feel a little… guilty. I didn’t help at all with the planning like Rose, or Juleka, or Chloe, and I’m not a bridesmaid, so I didn’t get to help out with the setup. I asked Kim months ago if he wanted to commission something for the groomsman suits free of charge, but he turned me down.”

“I’m sure they didn’t want to take advantage of you,” Adrien said. “I mean, you are pretty busy all the time.”

“Well, I still make time for friends, especially for friend’s weddings,” Marinette said. “So, I’m fixing the wedding dress. Even if it kills me.”

“Okaaay,” Adrien said waving his hands frantically. “Let’s maybe not go that far. I’m sure the dress will look good without your blood, sweat, and tears on it.”

Marinette chuckled as she applied her lip gloss. She could see in the reflection of the mirror that Adrien’s eyes had drifted down from her own to her lips. Unconsciously, it seemed, he took his bottom lip between his teeth as a blush crept up his face. Marinette shook her head, trying to rid herself of the rising heat she felt under the scrutiny of his gaze. 

Clapping her hands together, Marinette broke them both out of the moment. “Okay, ready to go?”

“Whenever you are,” Adrien said nodding. He opened the door, holding it as he waited for Marinette to grab her purse and slip her room key inside, and shut it securely behind them as they stepped out into the hallway.

Marinette was immediately intercepted by Alya as they made it into the ballroom downstairs. Chloe had reserved the place for the evening, not hard to do since it was her hotel, and the hotel’s restaurant had provided excellent food. All in all, Marinette thought it just might be an enjoyable evening.

“Here, girl, I’ve got a drink ready for you,” Alya said, trying to push a glass into her hands. Marinette looked to Adrien with pleading eyes, trying to silently communicate with him that she didn’t want to take the drink. Adrien was about to take it for her when Kim walked up with one of his own and held it out to her.

“Hold on, I’ve already made one for her,” Kim said, passing Marinette the drink with a wink. “My Marinette special.”

Marinette let out a sigh of relief as she readily accepted the glass from Kim without any hesitation. Alya stomped her foot and shook her head. “So, you’ll take one from him but not from me?”

“What can I say,” Kim said. “I know what she likes.”

Marinette’s face flushed bright red. “KIM-”

“So, you’re saying that you, who dated her for a grand total of five months, know he better than me, her best friend since college,” Alya said, clearly unimpressed by Kim’s display.

Adrien stiffened, looking confused between Marinette and Kim, “Wait… you two… dated each other?”

Marinette choked on her drink, trying to wipe away the small drops that had dripped onto her chin. “Uhhhhhh, yeah! We- we, um-”

Kim wrapped an arm around Marinette’s shoulder and pulled her tightly to his side. “I was interning at this sports news place in New York for a year. I mean, obviously, it didn’t work out, but Mari helped Alix and I reconnect.”

“Yeah, so, here we are,” Marinette said gesturing vaguely. “It’s a good story actually-”

“I know,” Kim said. “Almost like it’s toast material.”

“Please tell me you’re not going to talk about _that_ night in your toast,” Marinette said, looking away with a frown. 

Kim froze for a moment before regaining his composure and fussed with Marinette’s hair, messing it up a little on top. “Don’t sweat it, Mari. I’m not going to bore these people with stories of our university days.”

Still trapped at Kim’s side, Marinette dared to look at Adrien, who still had an unreadable expression on his face. It shouldn’t have hurt this much to have both of her past loves in the same room together. She wished she could have told Adrien that it had been nothing serious between her and Kim, but that wasn’t the case. In fact, if it hadn’t been for… Well, she might have been fixing her own wedding dress right now instead of Alix’s. 

But, Marinette was over Kim. That was in the past, and the relationship they had now made Kim out seem like an annoying and overbearing older brother.

Kim was still talking, laughing about something, but Marinette didn’t miss that Adrien had taken the drink that Alya had originally brought for her and downed it in one large gulp. He seemed ticked off, and his eyes occasionally glanced down towards Kim’s hand which was still wrapped around Marinette’s waist. 

“Hey,” Kim said, looking down at Marinette and drawing her out of her thoughts. “Do you want another Marinette special?”

“Yeah,” Marinette said, her eyes still locked on Adrien, whose attention had been drawn to her as well. “Yeah, that’d be great.”

As Kim pulled Marinette towards the bar, Adrien stalked off in the other direction, seemingly headed towards the balcony, but Kim was pulling her along, so she didn’t stop to see his destination.

********

Adrien was walking without knowing where his feet were carrying him. He felt hot, riled up. There wasn’t quite a word to describe how he felt about the new information Marinette, Alya, and Kim had sprung on him. The word “jealousy” was flung around his thoughts, but he didn’t want to admit to that. Adrien had no right to. He tried to think, to imagine, an alternate reality where that might have been him. If he had gone to New York back in while Marinette was just starting university and called on her, would they have reconnected like he hoped they would now? 

The biggest fear for Adrien was that he could be in Marinette’s life, but that perhaps he had already missed his chance.

Adrien jumped as an arm was slung around his shoulder. He looked to see Nino now standing next to him, a sly smile on his face.

“Alya says you made sure Mari came down tonight,” Nino said, waggling his eyebrows.

Adrien pushed Nino’s arm off of him, scoffing at his friend’s suggestion. “I don’t think what you think going to happen between us will happen between us.”

“And why the hell not,” Nino asked. “It’s clear that you two still have heart eyes for one another-”

“Why did no one ever tell me Marinette and Kim dated,” Adrien asked, interrupting Nino and throwing him off balance.

“We thought you knew,” Nino said. “It wasn’t exactly secret information-”

“Well, I didn’t exactly keep close tabs on Marinette if I could help it,” Adrien said. “Checking in on her all the time was too… painful.”

“That’s your own damn fault then, buddy,” Nino said, clapping Adrien on the shoulder. “My advice: stopping being such a fucking wimp and the get the girl.”

Adrien blinked slowly once and then twice. “Harsh,” He said. “But, probably necessary.”

Nino chuckled, shaking his head in amusement as he led Adrien over to a table with Sabrina, Nathaniel, and Max. Nino shoved a plate of food towards Adrien as he sat down, and Adrien took it without protest. It was clear that Nino was now trying to distract him, and between the food, the drink, and the conversation, the plan seemed to be going pretty well. 

Ivan joined them a little while later, walking up to the table looking almost tired and out of breath.

“Ivan! My man,” Nino said, pulling out a chair for their friend. “Haven’t seen you yet. Did you guys just get here?”

“Yeah,” Ivan said, running his hand down his face. “Mylene and I have had kind of a stressful day.”

Nino pushed a glass towards Ivan, nodding his head solemnly. “Drink away your woes, my friend. Take a load off. Tell us your troubles.”

“Well,” Ivan said, twisting the glass around in his hands. “Mylene hasn’t been sleeping well, and she’s been a little sick the past couple of days so-”

Nino gasped, letting out a high-pitched squeak. “Baby! Is it a baby?!”

“No,” Ivan sighed, “Unfortunately not, but it’s what we thought at first. We’ve been trying but no luck yet.”

“Oh, well count yourself lucky my friend. Alya has been-” Nino started to say, but looked to Adrien who was shaking his head frantically. “-an angel lately. I love my wife so much. Yup, my wife!”

Nino toasted to no one in particular as he drowned the last of his third drink. 

“Cheer up,” Adrien said, giving Ivan a soft pat on the back. “I’m sure everything happens for a reason.”

“I just wish I could help Mylene,” Ivan said. “She’s been really stressed about it, and today she lost her headband, the one she wore to school like every day back in college. We spent all afternoon searching for it. It certainly didn’t help make things better on top of the restless sleep and nightmares.”

“Well, the way I see it, gentlemen and lady,” Adrien said, standing up from his chair and giving Sabrina a polite nod as he spoke, “is that there is only one thing left to do tonight. Seeing as how each of us has our own internal wounds to nurse, I saw we drink till Chloe throws us out. Luckily for all of you, you are in the presence of a master for making good times. If there is one thing I know how to do, it’s live up to the reputation I can’t seem to escape. Nino, pour me another glass!”

********

“I should take him home,” Alya said as she leaned against the bar with Marinette. The two of them were watching, unable to tear their eyes away from the utter chaos that Adrien and Nino had managed to create. Alya seemed to have rather expected this behavior from her husband, but Marinette- Marinette was livid, to say the least. This was not her first rodeo dealing with drunk Adrien, but it was the first time seeing the truth behind his notorious reputation in the fashion industry. She’d heard all of the rumors that didn’t make it into tabloids, and she was not pleased to find out that perhaps there was truth to them. 

Marinette set down her “Marinette special” (really just a glass of water, but if anyone asked it was straight vodka) that Kim had given her before going off to join whatever crazy train Adrien and Nino had been riding for the last hour. She stormed across the ballroom, pushing her way through her friends as she made her way to where Adrien was standing on top of a table.

“Two hundred and fifty euros,” Adrien shouted. “Two hundred and fifty! That’s the latest bet! Any more takers before you all start handing me money?!”  
“Adrien,” Marinette said, tugging on his arm just enough to make him stumble but not fall over. 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” Adrien said with a wistful smile as he bent down to match her eye level. “Care to join in on the wager. They said I couldn’t do a backflip, and frankly, I find that insulting, so now I’m at least going to make 300 euro off of these idiots.”

“Adrien, that’s enough,” Marinette said in a stern voice. “It’s late. Time to go home.”

“Home,” Adrien scoffed. He leaned closer to Marinette and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “You’re right here, princess. I’ve already made it home.”

Marinette stuttered, feeling the heat in her cheeks rising significantly. She shook her head and trained a hardened gaze on him. “You’re being cheesy, and it’s not a good look on you.”

“Everything looks good on me,” Adrien countered. 

Marinette contemplated turning around and walking away. This wasn’t her responsibility. She was tired and could go up to her room without a second thought if she wanted to. She could crawl in bed and be well-rested for another long day of sewing tomorrow. 

But, that wasn’t her, and she still had one trick up her sleeve that she pulled in lycee all the time. There was one thing she could do as a last resort, and that pushed the “Adrien Agreste Self-Sacrifice” button. “Adrien my feet are tired and I can’t walk in these heels anymore. Please. Please, just help me to my room.”

Marinette and Adrien stared at each other in the eye for a moment, almost like a challenge to see who would break first. With a sharp intake of breath, Adrien swung his legs off the table and hopped onto the floor. Everyone around them let out groans and sighs of disappointment that they wouldn’t get to see a drunk Adrien Agreste absolutely make a fool of himself, but Marinette was quite pleased to yet again be the winner of this game. 

“Shoes,” Adrien said, holding out his hand. Marinette slipped off her heels and gave them to him without a word, only offering him a smile. He swung his arm around her shoulder, pulling Marinette close to his side, and began to walk off towards the door, shouting back to everyone else. “Goodnight!”

Marinette laughed, almost in disbelief. She couldn’t believe that that worked every time, but it did. Even years later it did. 

“Why are you like this,” Marinette muttered, but Adrien must have heard her as he perked up with a smile.

“I thought you liked me.”

“Not when you’re acting like you’re trying to drink yourself to death. Not when it seems like you are trying to prove every damn person I defend you to correct when they say that you’re a “washed up, waste of space, son of a supervillain.”

“You defend me to people?”

“ _That’s_ what you’re focusing on?”

Adrien shrugged, leaning his head on top of Marinette’s as they continued their walk to the elevator. “It’s nice to know that someone still believes in me.”

“I do,” Marinette said. “I do believe in you.”

The elevator doors opened as they reached it, two people stepping off as they got on. Marinette pressed the button to shut the doors as soon as they got on to ensure they would be the only people there. She leaned up against the wall, forcing Adrien to do the same. He still was laying his head atop her own, the hand on her shoulder now absentmindedly fiddling with her hair. Marinette leaned into the touch, liking the way it felt familiar to her. 

“Why are you like this,” She asked again, her tone much softer this time.

“Now what are you going to yell at me for?”

“Nothing,” Marinette said, shrugging. “I just wish…”

Adrien shifted, turning so he could look at her straight in the eye. “Wish what,” He asked. Marinette looked down and away, embarrassed. “Mari, I may be drunk, but my mind’s still here. What do you wish for?”

“That things had been different,” Marinette said. She could already feel the tears welling up in her eyes. “That you- you hadn’t left. That your father wasn’t Hawkmoth. That I hadn’t been-”

“Hey, hey,” Adrien said, pulling her into a hug. “I wish I hadn’t left either. Maybe I couldn’t have changed anything else, but I could have stayed. I was dumb, and I made a dumb choice and many more dumb choices after that.”

Marinette didn’t cry, but she stayed there in his embrace. They stayed there until the elevator reacher her floor, and they got out together. With still a grip on her shoes, Adrien guided Marinette down the hallway, a strange turn of events seeing as she was the one who was completely sober. She was trying to hold back tears, though, and felt almost out of breath. Once the door to her room was open, Adrien handed her back her shoes.

“You’re going to make it to your room alright,” Marinette asked. Part of her brain was screaming at her to let him in, but she knew she couldn’t.

“Yeah, yeah,” Adrien said, waving his hand absentmindedly. “I’ll be fine.” 

“Good,” Marinette said with a smile. “Goodnight, Adrien.”

“Goodnight.”

Marinette watched as he walked down the hallway and back towards the elevator. After she made sure he seemed to be good on his own, Marinette shut the door and leaned against the wood frame. She was able to let the tears fall, having felt embarrassed about it before. If she had been crying, there would have been no way Adrien would have left. Releasing her pent-up sobs had relieved some of the tension in her chest, but not enough. Marinette reached into her purse and pulled out her inhaler. After a moment, she felt normal again, but it wasn’t easy to say that her lungs were actually working the way they should.

“Couldn’t have you then, and you can’t have me now,” Marinette spoke out loud to the air. “What a fine pair we make.”


	7. What could have been

Adrien rolled over and groaned as his phone rang incessantly. It was loud, too loud, especially for this morning because the headache he had acquired from drinking too much booze was threatening to split his skull in two.

“Hello,” Adrien grumbled into the phone. 

“My husband and father of my unborn child is in bed, refusing to get up,” Alya said, the exasperation and anger in her tone jolting Adrien awake completely. “I blame you.”

“Good morning to you too, Alya,” Adrien said. “Pleasant day, isn’t it?”

“We’re picking you up for breakfast in thirty minutes. Bring Marinette,” Alya said quickly and then hung up. 

Adrien rolled out of bed, setting his phone back down on his bedside table. “Right.”

Getting himself dressed was a struggle, but with a cup of the complimentary coffee the hotel provided, Adrien was able to make it to the elevator and get to Marinette’s floor. He was already running a little late, t-minus seven minutes until Alya and Nino was supposed to pick them up from downstairs. He hoped Marinette was awake and dressed because dealing with the rath of Alya Cesaire was not how he wanted to start his day. Adrien wouldn’t throw Marinette under the bus for being the cause of their lateness, but the clipped tone Alya had used on the phone this morning was enough to make him nervous about what to expect. 

Adrien knocked on the door, and stepped back, waiting a few moments. He could hear feet approaching the door on the other side, and was met with the smiling face of Marinette Dupain Cheng as it opened. 

“You look like you just rolled out of bed,” Marinette said, leaning up against the door frame.

“You don’t,” Adrien said, noting her put-together appearance. “How long have you been awake?”

“Only a few hours,” Marinette shrugged. She stepped back to let him inside. “Or four, or six.”

“It’s only nine in the morning.”

“And,” Marinette asked with a raised eyebrow. “I’ve got work to do. Dresses don’t sew themselves you know.”

“Since when did you become a morning person,” Adrien asked. “I seem to remember having to bribe you into waking up before nine on some occasions.”

Marinette scoffed, turning to go back to the corner of the room she had designated as her sewing area. “I don’t really have the luxury of sleeping in with the job I have. Besides, I’m rarely up at all hours of the night anymore.”

Adrien smiled at her, pulling a memory somewhere from the recesses of his mind. More than once, on the way home from a late patrol, Chat Noir had run by the bakery, seeing the light from her room still on. More than once had he been tempted to knock on her window. Time with Marinette had been precious to him in those days, and if he had known exactly how much time he had been limited to over the past few years back then, he would have knocked, bothered her at all hours if necessary, whether inside or outside the mask. 

The sound of Marinette humming as she went back to work pulled Adrien back to reality. His eyes were drawn to her delicate hands, skillfully sewing a gorgeous, multi-colored floral applique to the stark white dress. She seemed so focused and intense, and Adrien let all thoughts of making it downstairs in time for Alya and Nino go. This moment, right here and now, was peaceful, and he’d be damned if he let that go. 

“It’s beautiful,” Adrien, stepping up to her side to take a closer look. “Alix is going to love it.”

“I hope so,” She said, though her eyes were still focused on her work. There was a worried crease between her eyebrows, one that let him know exactly what she was feeling despite her calm composure. 

Without thinking, Adrien leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. “She will, _mon cheri.”_

Marinette’s hands stopped any movement, completely frozen in space. It took a few moments for Adrien to realize what he had done and was then stuck, too. The kiss had been an immediate reaction, something he'd done many times before when that worried crease on her forehead had appeared due to her designs. 

“Come- come on,” Marinette mumbled under her breath as though she were trying to regain her voice. “You have to give me better feedback than that.”

Adrien cleared his throat, straightening up as he mimed pushing a pair of glasses up his nose. “You’ve tied in the traditional elements of a bridal gown with a modern aesthetic, which is commendable. Certainly not something that everyone would agree with, but you’ve done it with your client in mind, showing you know how to adapt in order to please an audience-”

Looking over, Adrien could see Marinette was covering her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle the giggle escaping her. Adrien froze, doing a double-take. “What? What am I doing?”

“I’m- I’m sorry,” Marinette said, laughing and not even trying to hide it now. “It’s just you’ve got this whole Gabriel Agreste thing going on right now, and it’s not the best look for you.”

“I was going for Tim Gunn, but okay,” Adrien said with a straight face. He looked down at his hands, rubbing them together. Marinette reached out and grabbed his hand, as Adrien looked up to meet her eyes. 

“I’m sorry,” Marinette said, her voice shaking slightly. “I didn’t mean to-”

“Marinette, I’m not offended,” Adrien said, realizing what his reaction might have caused her to think. “I don’t mind being compared to him. He’s- he’s my dad. It’s bound to happen.”

“Do you-” Marinette said. “Do you see him?”

“When I can,” Adrien shrugged. He consciously registered that Marinette’s thumb was now rubbing small circles on his hand, and relished the soothing gesture. “It’s not frequent, and he doesn’t talk a lot anymore. I think I- I think I managed to forgive him.”

Marinette frowned, and Adrien tried his best to ignore it, but he couldn’t.

“What,” He asked.

“It’s nothing-”

“No, it’s not,” Adrien said. “What?”

Marinette sighed, her eyes falling down to where their hands were intertwined in Adrien’s lap. “It’s just- I don’t think I could forgive him. For what he did to you, to our friends. I can’t forgive him for that.”

Adrien nodded. He could understand that. While Adrien could understand the grief his father had felt over the loss of his mother, empathize with him, not everyone could. For Marinette, knowing how she tended to take on the emotions her friends were feeling and wanting to help them any way she could, it was a matter of having to watch others be in pain. Alya, Nino, Kim, Ivan, Mylene, Alix, Nathaniel, and so many more that they knew had been affected by it. Adrien had tried to rationalize it over and over that he had been able to save them, but Marinette didn’t have the same luxury he did. 

“Marinette,” Adrien said, drawing her attention to him. His face held a serious expression. “If he had hurt you I don’t think I would have forgiven him.”

The loss of holding her when Marinette took her hand from his grasp, was enough to make him sigh, but it was quickly stifled as Marinette threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest. Adrien’s arms immediately wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him. He took in everything, the feeling of her body pressed against his, the smell of her hair, the softness of skin as her shirt rode up her midsection and brushed his fingertips. It seemed as though she hadn’t been there for so long. Adrien wanted to remember what it had been like, and what it could have been like. 

Unfortunately, his phone rang, snapping them both out of a timeless daze. Adrien groaned in annoyance, grateful to see that it was Nino calling him. 

“Where have you been,” Nino said in a harsh whisper. “We’ve been waiting downstairs for ten minutes. Alya is about ready to come up there and drag your asses down. You better be presentable when you get here, because if I see even a smudge of lipstick on your pretty face-”

“See you in two minutes, Nino,” Adrien said interrupting him and then hanging up.

“What was that about,” Marinette asked.

“Just Nino reminding me that we have breakfast to attend to,” Adrien said. “Hungry?”

“Yes, actually.”

“Good, because you wouldn’t have had a choice in going or not,” Adrien said. Awkwardly, he pulled his hands away, not realizing that he had still been holding her waist. He walked over towards her bed, grabbing her purse, and then helping Marinette into her coat. “Shall we?”

Marinette shrugged. “Well, I guess if I don’t have a choice.”


	8. By your side

Marinette stepped in time with the rest of the group as they walked to the restaurant for breakfast. She regretted wearing heels, dispising the ache in the arches of feet with her entire being. It wasn’t the only problem the walk was giving her troubles. The speed and pacing of their steps were a little more than Marinette could handle, especially considering the distance between where they had parked and where they were headed. 

“Why couldn’t you have found a closer place to park,” Marinette asked, trying really hard not to hate Nino at the moment. 

“For the last time, I had tried to park any closer we wouldn’t have found a spot at all,” Nino said. “Adrien has said it, Alya has asked me that twice in the past two minutes, and now you’ve gotten to tell me too. No one needs to keep asking me that question.”

“This is why we don’t even own cars in New York,” Marinette mumbled under her breath. 

Nino sighed and picked up his pace, walking in front of the other three. 

Marinette wished for a moment that they could stop and catch her breath for a moment, slowing down just a tad. Only Adrien seemed to notice, falling back behind Nino and Alya to walk next to her. 

“Are you okay,” Adrien asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Marinette said, taking another deep breath to compensate. “I just wasn’t prepared for a long walk in these shoes this morning.”

“You know I could always carry you,” Adrien said with a sly smirk. 

“I think I’ll man _ahhh-”_

Marinette let out a scream as Adrien practically picked her up, swinging her body to his other side, just stopping Marinette from colliding with someone passing by them. As Adrien set her back on her feet, they continued walking along.

“Are you alright,” Adrien asked. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“No, no. You’re fine. Thank you- HEY!”

Marinette yelled once again as she felt someone tugging on her shoulder. Clammy fingers fumbled for the strap of her purse and forcefully yanked it from her body. They took off running before the purse was all the way off her, the force pulling Marinette to the ground. She felt a sharp sting on her hands, as gravel embedded itself into her palms. Adrien scooped Marinette up, pulling her onto her feet. She didn’t give him a thank you, her eyes locked on to where the thief had taken off running down the street. 

“My-my purse,” Marinette mumbled, taking a step forward. “My purse!”

Without thinking, Marinette took off running in the direction of the thief, sprinting as fast as her heels would let her. Some people saw her coming and jumped out of her way as she rushed past. Others she pushed by, earning harsh shouts that she was accustomed to from angry people on the sidewalk. Vaguely, Marinette registered Adrien shouting as he ran behind her. 

Adrien caught up to her, and in a few seconds was running ahead of her. Marinette’s eyes widened, surprised by how fast and agile he actually was. Adrien clearly had a better chance of catching up with the guy than she did. 

“Hey! Stop that guy,” Adrien shouted, trying to alert anyone else on the street. Another pedestrian heard him, grabbing the thief as he ran past him, and sending them both sprawling to the ground. The other man held him to the ground as Adrien caught up, the two men grappling for Marinette’s purse before Adrien managed to wrench it out of the thief's hands. The pedestrian hauled the thief up to his feet and slammed his back into the brick wall of a shop, holding him there. Someone else had already pulled out their phone and dialed the police.

Marinette sighed in relief and slowed her pace to a steady jog as she caught up to Adrien. He was looking at the thief with an expression of anger and fury as he tried to squirm his way out of the pedestrian’s grasp, but the harsh, cold look in his eyes softened as Marinette came and stood beside him. Adrien’s hands flew to her face, holding her cheeks gently as his eyes filled with worry. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“Yeah,” Marinette said between heavy breaths. Her chest was filled with immense pain, but thankfully she had her purse back. Marinette held up her hand, which had a small but steady flow of blood coming from it. “Just a scrape.”

Marinette reached for her purse and Adrien handed it back to her. She immediately tore it open, digging through it furiously as she looked for her inhaler. “Where the hell is it?”

Adrien’s attention was drawn away as a police officer arrived, and he began explaining what had happened. Marinette could see out of the corner of her eye Adrien pointing in her direction. Her hand was reached all the way inside, digging around at the very bottom, but no inhaler turned up. 

“No,” Marinette said, shaking her head. “No, no, no, no. No.”

Adrien turned back to her as the police officer began cuffing the thief. “Marinette,” Adrien asked, no doubt noticing her worried expression. “What’s happening are you okay?”

Anxiety crept in and Marinette’s heavy breaths became more erratic. Alya and Nino made their way over, standing behind Marinette. Alya placed a hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “Girl, are you okay?”

“In-inhaler,” Marinette said, holding her purse out to Alya. “Can’t find- can’t-”

Alya’s eyes widened, taking the purse from Marinette as she began digging around for the item. Marinette’s hands grasped at her chest, trying to ignore the pain. “Oh god- I- I took it out last night,” Marinette said. “I didn’t put it back-”

Marinette pushed past Adrien and walked over to the wall, leaning up against it. She tried to slow her breathing, counting each breath, but it was hard between the shortness of breath from running and the panic that continued to increase. 

“It’s not in here,” Alya said, almost choking on her words. “It’s not-”

Marinette let out a sob, taking a step away from the wall. Her ankle twisted, throwing her off balance and sending her towards the hard concrete. Adrien reached out grabbing her in his arms, pulling Marinette close to his chest. 

“Marinette,” Adrien yelled her name frantically. “Marinette! Hey, you’re okay. It’s okay.”

She could feel herself slipping, the oxygen that she was managing to get to her brain wasn’t enough to sustain her. Marinette went limp in Adrien’s arms. As her knees gave out from under her, Adrien scooped his arms under them, holding her close to his chest. 

“Shit,” Nino said, looking around frantically at the scene around them. People had gathered, but they were focused on the thief that was being put in the back of a police car. The pedestrian that had tackled him was giving a statement. Alya was still searching through Marinette’s purse, while Adrien had sunk to his knees, Marinette sitting in his lap, slumped against his shoulder with her eyes closed. Adrien seemed to be frozen, his eyes brimming with tears as they locked on Marinette’s limp form. 

Nino rushed over to the nearest person with their phone out. “Hey! Call an ambulance! Our friend just passed out!”

*************

There were other people in the waiting room, too. People that Adrien knew that he knew, but he couldn’t tell you exactly who was there. He’d been staring at the floor since the moment he’d sat down in his chair, the image of Marinette passed out in his arms was a nightmare that he didn’t know how to live with. He’d been trying to wake her when the ambulance arrived and vaguely remembered almost fighting the EMT that had tried to take her out of his arms before Nino held him back. Adrien had never felt so terrified in his entire life.

The chair next to him creaked, alerting him to Nino’s presence next to him. His friend laid a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it as Adrien looked up into Nino’s eyes. 

“Anything yet,” Adrien asked. 

Nino shook his head. “No one’s come out yet.”

Adrien now saw that Kim, Alix, Nathaniel, and Mylene had joined them in the waiting room. Everyone seemed just as quiet and out of it as he had been. 

“There’d just been a scrape,” Adrien said. “I asked her if she was okay, and she said “it’s just a scrape,” and then she just…”

“Marinette is going to be okay,” Nino said. “You have to trust that’s she’s going to be okay.”

“Nino, if I lose her-”

“I know.”

Adrien’s attention was drawn away by the sight of a doctor making their way towards him. He practically jumped out of his seat, anxiously bouncing on his feet. Nino and Alya joined him at his side, while the others were waiting attentively in their seats. 

“You’re the three that came in with Marinette Dupain Cheng,” The doctor asked, looking between the three of them.

“Yes,” Nino said. “What’s happened is she okay?”

“I need someone to tell us about her condition,” The doctor said. “We can’t move forward until we have all of the information.”

Alya’s eyes narrowed. “What condition-”

“I can help,” Kim said, as he stood up from his seat. “I’m familiar with it.”

Adrien’s eyes snapped to Kim, a million questions flying through his mind, but he didn’t get the chance to ask them. 

“Great,” The doctor said, gesturing towards the way he had come from. “Come on back with me.”

Adrien watched speechless as Kim strode past him and fell in step with the doctor as they headed towards Marinette’s hospital room. Even when Alya and Nino had retaken their seats, Adrien was still standing there. 

“We can stay here and wait,” Alix said. She leaned forward in her chair and shaking her head in disbelief. “Kim and I can call you all when there’s something definitive.”

Nino placed a hand on Alya’s knee. “We need to get you something to eat.”

Alya nodded, wiping a tear from her eye. She took Nino’s hand as he helped her to her feet. Nino placed a hand on Adrien’s shoulder as he passed him. The others did the same as they one by one left, leaving only Adrien and Alix in the waiting room. Alix let out a sigh as she got up and dragged Adrien back to a seat. “I can see you’re not going to leave, so you might as well get comfortable.”

“What did they mean,” Adrien asked. “Marinette’s condition?”

“That’s a question for Marinette,” Alix said with a pointed look.

*********

Eventually, Adrien was the only one left in the waiting room. He had insisted Kim and Alix head out after Kim came back from talking with the doctor, saying they must have wedding stuff to take care of. In all honesty, Adrien was itching to leave, too. His right hand flexed, wishing as he did every day that he had his Miraculous back. He longed to escape and run across the rooftops, wanting to get his mind off the fear that had hounded him since he’d arrived here. 

The doctor from earlier stopped in front of his chair, and Adrien looked up from his seat, acknowledging him with a nod. “Mademoiselle Dupain Cheng is awake and breathing normally.”

“Can I see her?” Adrien asked, his voice hoarse and throat dry. 

“Of course,” The doctor said nodding. Adrien stood to follow him, the doctor continuing to speak as they walked. “She may have difficulty speaking, and will likely still be very tired. Just give her a few hours before she starts behaving normally again.”

Adrien stopped just outside the door. “What’s wrong with her? I mean, what happened?”

“Mademoiselle Dupain Cheng has a relapsing/remitting course of MS,” The doctor said. Adrien raised an eyebrow, confused. “Multiple sclerosis. Oftentimes patients can experience shortness of breath after exerting themselves physically. Your friend was given an inhaler by her doctor in the states, but the stress of not being able to get it as well as having her purse stolen exacerbated the effects.”

“I- I didn’t know,” Adrien said. “She didn’t tell me.”

“She’s had the diagnosis for a couple of years now,” The doctor said. “Just, help her take it easy for a few days, make sure she keeps taking her medication. I’m sure she’ll be able to let you know exactly what she needs.”

With a nod, the doctor turned and walked away. Adrien reached towards the doorknob, pausing as he laid his hand on the metal. With a deep breath, Adrien turned the knob and pushed the door open. Marinette turned her head to him as he stepped into the room, a smile spreading across her face.

“ _Hello_ ,” Marinette mouthed.

“Hi,” Adrien answered, standing in the doorway. Marinette patted the space at the edge of her bed, gesturing for Adrien to come to sit next to her. The bed shifted as Adrien sat down, and Marinette wiggled to the other side to give him more space. Adrien sat there for a moment, just taking in her appearance. Her lips seemed to have a slightly blue tint to them, her eyes tried. Marinette looked nothing like the bright, bubbly person she had been this morning. 

Adrien felt his eyes welling up with tears, threatening to spill over. Marinette noticed the worry in his eyes. Her hands reached out, gripping the sides of his face as she looked at him, questioningly. Marinette pulled his face closer to her own, her eyes glancing over every inch of his expression. Adrien reached up, his hand gripping her wrist, the pad of his thumb, rubbing the soft skin of her delicate hands. 

Adrien tried to speak, but his words came out as nothing more than a gurgling sound stuck in his throat. Marinette pulled Adrien towards her, pressing a kiss between his brows. Her lips lingered, and Adrien relished in her soft touch. When she drew back, Adrien pressed his forehead to her’s, closing his eyes and focusing on her presence next to him. Adrien let out a deep breath, longing to be closer to her, pressing his forehead closer as if he were trying to read her thoughts. 

Marinette pulled back first, simply nodding her head. Adrien opened his eyes to look at her, to see her safe and okay. Being in a hospital bed wasn’t ideal, but she was still here. 

“Uh, Alya still has your purse,” Adrien said. Marinette laughed, resting her head on his shoulder. “I should probably call them and tell them you’re okay.”

Adrien reached into his pocket for his phone, but Marinette grabbed onto his wrist, her grip tight as she drew his hand back to the space between their laps. “I- I,” Marinette stuttered, swallowing as her voice failed her completely. She shook her head, resting it back on his shoulder. Adrien could feel the teardrops falling onto his shirt, and was about to pull her into an embrace when Marinette looked up at him. She tried again, speaking slowly. “I didn’t want you to find out this way.”

“I’m not mad at you,” Adrien said. “We haven’t exactly been close in the past couple of years. If anything, I’m mad about that.”

Marinette raised an eyebrow. Adrien pulled his hand away, running it through his hair with a frustrated huff. “I’m angry that when the doctor came out and asked about you that Kim was the one who stood up and knew what he needed to tell him. I just had to stand there, feeling like an idiot because I hadn’t been the one there for you before when I should have been.”

“You’re here now,” Marinette said. “That’s all I care about.”

She placed her hands on his cheeks again, drawing him closer to her. Adrien leaned forward, closing the distance, but no sooner than this lips brushed her’s did the door open, causing them to spring apart. Alya came in first, rushing to Marinette’s side and practically shoving Adrien out of the way. 

“Oh my god,” Alya said as she drew Marinette into a hug. “Oh my god, we were so worried.”

“Careful,” Nino said coming in after her. He smiled at Marinette. “The girl’s in a hospital bed, give it a day before you start giving her bone-crushing hugs again. We brought you some clothes from the hotel and your purse back. Don’t worry, no more thieves have gotten their hands on it.”

“Thank you,” Marinette said softly.   
Alya held up another bag she was carrying in her hand. “We also brought take out. We 

didn’t know if you were cleared for that or not so we snuck it in.”

Marinette moved over more on the bed, giving both Alya and Adrien room to sit with her while Nino pulled up a chair. Alya soon began dishing out food to everyone. Adrien leaned back, looking around her to Marinette, whose eyes had become a little brighter since he’d first seen her. A broad grin was spread across her face as she accepted the food from Alya. Marinette’s eyes met his, her smile widening even more. 

Adrien decided then and there that he was never going to walk away from her again. By her side seemed like a much better place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ohhoho we are not done yet


	9. Everything's Alright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for my absence. i am very tired and that is my only excuse

They had discharged Marinette from the hospital only six hours after she had woken up. Alya, Nino, and Adrien had begged her to stay a little while longer, just long enough for her to sleep again. Marinette had argued that if they wanted her to rest well, they should take her back to the hotel so she could sleep on an actual mattress instead of a hospital bed. The three had sat as they listened to the doctor spouting medical terms and the names of medication that none of them had ever heard of, but Marinette nodded along with complete understanding. It was clear to Adrien that Alya and Nino were carefully trying to process this new information about their friend’s health. He was, too. Marinette had seemed normal, almost unchanged, but it was clear that the hardships she had experienced over the last few years hadn’t hindered her in the slightest. 

Adrien discovered that yesterday’s events hadn’t done much to change her resolve either. Marinette had dragged Adrien into bed with her when they got home from the hospital. Nino and Alya had been nervous about leaving her alone, and while Adrien had promised to keep an eye on her, he insisted on giving her space and tried to sleep on the floor. Marinette had protested and eventually, he gave in and took half the bed. By the time he woke up the next morning, Marinette was already awake, dressed, and hand sewing the rest of the applique on Alix’s wedding gown. 

Adrien rubbed the sleep from his eyes, almost impressed by how diligently she was working, her eyes focused and hands moving swiftly. 

“Are you sure you should be doing that,” Adrien asked. He turned his head towards the clock. “You’ve barely slept in at all.”

Marinette looked at him only with a quick glance before returning to her work. There was a soft smile on her face, and Adrien noticed now how the light from the window seemed to be framing her, like a soft glow enveloping her body. It highlighted the freckles on her skin and brought out the blue of her raven hair. She looked ethereal. If she looked his way, Adrien thought he might melt on the spot.

A soft giggle escaped her lips, and Adrien’s heart skipped a beat. “I’m a senior designer at a high-level fashion company in New York,” Marinette said. “I’ve learned how to make it through the day.”

“Yeah, but still,” Adrien said, jumping out of bed and wandering over to her, “don’t you want to sleep in a little bit? Maybe rest up? We did get back from the hospital pretty late last night.”

“That’s why I take medication, Adrien,” Marinette said. “Trust me, I know how far I can push myself. You learn it through trial and error.”  
“Yeah, but breakfast,” Adrien asked raising an eyebrow.

“Why are you hungry,” Marinette asked. Adrien kneeled down at her feet, forcing her to meet his eyes instead of keeping them trained on her needle and thread. He pouted, trying his best to pull off the puppy dog eyes. Marinette groaned, stilling her hands and setting down her work. “You’re going to be the death of me aren’t you?”

“That depends,” Adrien said. “Will it be  _ le petit mort _ ?”

“I see flirty Adrien is back,” Marinette said. “You only ever acted like this when we were in private.”

“Isn’t that where we are now,” Adrien asked, looking around the otherwise empty room. “Besides, it’s about time he remade an appearance. I have a lot of flirting to make up for.”  
“I won’t lie and say I haven’t missed it.”

“Then prepare yourself for a whole new level of teasing, princess.”

Adrien leaned in, mere centimeters away from placing a kiss on her cheek, but Marinette had stilled, even her chest had ceased its rise and fall with her breath. He pulled back, concern flashing across his face. She only blinked, as if her brain were working hard to process his words. 

“Where-” Marinette paused. “Where did that come from?”

“What?”

“You called me princess.”

Adrien’s eyes widened, and he looked away, flushed and embarrassed. He hadn’t realized he had slipped, just like the other day when he had called her my lady. She wasn’t Ladybug, but this was different. Princess was what he had called her as Chat Noir. It was his alter ego’s special nickname for her. Adrien had always been careful never to mix up the two personas, reserving that moniker for a different side of him. 

“UH-” Adrien couldn’t think of what to say to get him out of this one. He considered just revealing himself then and there, but Marinette probably wouldn’t believe him. Not to mention, she was quick on her feet, and the revelation might incite a conversation that he wasn’t ready to have. No doubt, she would put the pieces together quickly, seeing that he had left her side quickly after the defeat of Hawkmoth, his father. 

There might be a time in the future when Adrien was ready to confide in her. Out of everyone he knew, she was the person he would go to to finally get it off his chest, but now was not the time.

“Just thought it fit you,” Adrien said with a shrug. “Why? Do you not like it?! I can pick something else!”  
Marinette laughed as Adrien grew more nervous. “No, it’s okay,” She said, shaking her head. “I had a friend who insisted on calling me that a long time ago.”

“Well, then I don’t want to step on their toes,” Adrien said, standing back up to his feet. “Come on, I’m taking you to breakfast.”  
Adrien extended his hand and after a moment Marinette gently placed her own in his. He laced his fingers with hers and raised it up to his lips, kissing the back of her hand. “Shall we, mon cheri?”

Marinette shook her head. “I don’t like that one either.”

“Then, I’ll just have to keep looking.”

******

Marinette had to be back at the hotel by noon so she could have a final fitting with Alix before declaring the dress ready, so Adrien decided to forgo the restaurant and take her to a crepe stand not too far away. About five minutes into their walk, Adrien had begun to feel guilty about the suggestion. He glanced at Marinette every so often, apprehensive to ask her how she was doing. Was it right to have dragged her out like this so soon? Should he have gotten his car even if it would have only been a two-minute drive? What if she-

“Hey, don’t worry,” Marinette said, taking his hand. “I’m fine. I can handle a leisurely stroll.”

“Sorry,” Adrien said, letting out a deep breath. Her grip on his hand tightened.

“I understand that this is how it might be for a while,” Marinette said. “My parents, Kim, and Alix were the same when I was first diagnosed, but after a while, it just becomes apart of my life. I mean, it hasn’t exactly hindered me. If anything, I became more ambitious and worked harder because of it. I can still do the things I’ve always wanted. I understand that you, Nino, and Alya will probably worry over me for a while, but I’m okay with that.”

Adrien stopped walking and stepped in front of Marinette. “You’re amazing you know that right?”

“What brought this on,” Marinette chuckled. Adrien drew her closer and pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

“You’re still so optimistic.”

“Some days are harder than others,” Marinette said with a shrug. “It helps when you have people who care about you.”   


“Well, I definitely care, sweetheart.”

“Sweetheart? Absolutely not.”

Adrien laughed as he started walking again, pulling Marinette along with him. “I’ll keep looking then.”  
Adrien had insisted on paying for the food and took Marinette over to a bench overlooking the Seine. There were tourists walking along the bank and a few boats going by. The scenery was perfect, and they were lucky to have a blue sky up above them. Adrien was thankful for the few moments of peace, for the fact that he was able to make Marinette laugh and simply spend time with her. He tensed for a moment as she sighed contentedly and leaned her head against his shoulder, but soon relaxed and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. 

There was something familiar about the moment, the time and the place. Adrien glanced around at his surroundings, realizing after a minute that this was the street, the same stretch of river, that he had brought Marinette to when he’d finally wizened up and asked her to be his girlfriend, five days before he wouldn’t get to see her for years. It wasn’t the same bench they had sat on that day, but the warmth of the sun and the feeling of her pressed against his side felt the same as it had then. 

“Adrien! Marinette!” 

Adrien turned his head and Marinette sat up straighter. Farther down the street, Kim was practically racing towards them while Alix walked along at a leisurely pace a little ways behind him. Kim reached them quickly, leaning again the back of the bench as he caught his breath. “Fancy seeing you guys here,” Kim said. “We were just on our way to the hotel. They were supposed to start setting up for the rehearsal dinner. When did you get out of the hospital?”

“Late last night,” Marinette said. “You know me, I bounce back quickly.”

“Atta girl,” Kim said, patting her maybe just a little too hard on the back.

“Don’t break her, Kim,” Alix said as she reached them. “Mari still has a wedding dress to finish.”   


“Almost done actually,” Marinette said. “You can still try it on at noon if you aren’t going to be too busy.”

“I can take a break so you can stick me with pins,” Alix said. “It’s actually nice that we ran into you guys. We can all walk back together.” 

Adrien turned to Marinette. “You ready to head back?”

She nodded, taking Adrien’s hand as she stood to her feet. The four walked together as they headed back towards the hotel. The conversation came easy, and Adrien realized just how much he missed being with his friends. He’d hung out with people occasionally, but they had only been coworkers. If he thought about it, Adrien hadn’t actually had a real connection with anyone in years. He didn’t think he could go back to that lonely life now. The end of the weekend was fast approaching, and he’d have to make a decision.

“Get out of my head! MAKE IT STOP!”

“What the hell is that,” Kim asked, turning in the direction of the screaming. 

Adrien tensed, the voice had been closed. His hands curled into fists as his eyes scanned the surrounding area for any threat. Before anyone could react, Alix was grabbed and yanked backward, slipping out of reach before Kim could get a hold of her.

“Alix!”

Adrien moved to reach for her, but somehow, Marinette was quicker. She slammed into the man’s side, throwing him off balance and away from Alix before twisting around and delivering a swift kick to the back of his knees. The man collapsed to the ground with a shout. 

Kim had pulled Alix away, and Adrien let out a sigh of relief as the danger seemed to be over, but he relaxed too soon. The man reached out, grabbing onto Marinette’s ankle, and pleaded with her. “Please help me! Get her out of my head!”

Adrien wrapped an arm tightly around her waist and pulled her away from the man just as a beat cop ran up to detain him. Adrien sighed, making sure she was steady on her feet before loosening his grip slightly. “What is it that makes men seem to go crazy around you?”

“I don’t know,” Marinette said. “Maybe it’s my incredible good looks?”

Kim pulled his phone. “I’m calling us a cab. We’re not taking the chances of having any more crazy people stop us.”   


Adrien didn’t let go of Marinette as he watched the police drag the still screaming man towards the car and put him in the backseat. His cuffed fists were banging against the window as he shouted the same few sentences. Adrien could feel the hairs stand up on the back of his neck, some long-forgotten sense was resurfacing at the back of his mind, a sense that told him this was bad, dangerous. Almost subconsciously, Adrien moved Marinette to the other side of him, facing her away from the police car. 

“Those were some seriously cool moves, Marinette,” Alix said. “Where did you learn that?”

Marinette laughed nervously and shrugged. “Single girl living in New York City who takes public transportation. You got to have some sort of defenses in place.”

Adrien’s eyes narrowed at Marinette as she spoke. At that moment, something had been so familiar about the way she acted, how Marinette had moved with grace. All of this was starting to feel too familiar, and not in a good way. Adrien had a sudden need to get inside, away from the open and prying eyes. As the car Kim had called pulled up, Adrien quickly pushed Marinette inside and slid in next to her. Alix sat next to him and Kim took his place in the passenger’s seat. 

“Adrien,” Marinette said, getting his attention as the car took off. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” He answered absentmindedly, staring out the window. Shaking his head, Adrien turned his head fully to Marinette. “Yeah. Everything’s alright.”

As he reached for her hand, Adrien felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Confused as he saw Nino’s contact pop up on the screen, Adrien answered. “Hey, man,” Adrien said. “Is everything fine? I thought you and Alya had a doctor’s appointment this morning.”

“We did,” Nino said over the line. Adrien could hear the frustration dripping from his voice. “We made it as far as the waiting room before one of the nurses came barging through the door and pushed Alya into a wall.”

“What?!” The harshness in Adrien’s voice caused Marinette to snap her head towards him. He covered the receiver and spoke in a whisper. “Someone pushed Alya.”

Marinette’s eyes widened in shock and leaned into closer towards the phone to listen to the conversation.

“Is she okay,” Adrien asked, removing his hand from the phone. 

“Yeah,” Nino said with a sigh. “The doctor checked her out, but the lady wouldn’t let go. I had to punch her in the face, man.”

Adrien raised an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”

“I think I might have sprained my finger,” Nino said with a chuckle, “And, maybe bruised my ego.”   


Adrien laughed, shaking his head. “Why do you think the nurse did that?”

“I don’t know,” Nino said. He seemed tired, and the worry was clear in his tone. “She was shouting something. It was hard to make out, but I think she had just gone crazy.”

Something in Adrien’s mind clicked. “Nino,” He said, pausing as he gave himself a moment not to ask the question, knowing that he didn’t really want the answer. “What do you think she was yelling?”

“I don’t know,” Nino said. “Something about getting out of her head. I don’t know. Her speech was really garbled. It was hard to make out.”

Adrien swallowed, glancing towards Marinette, who was still listening. Something in her eyes told him she was thinking the same thing as him. Adrien held out the phone between them so they both could speak and listen. 

“Nino,” Marinette said. “You guys are both okay, right?”

“We’ll be fine,” Nino said. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll be out of here in a minute. We’re not going to miss the rehearsal dinner tonight.”

“Okay,” Marinette said. “Tell Alya I’ll see her later then.”   


“Will do, Mari,” Nino said. 

Adrien put the phone back to his ear. “Nino, you’ll tell me if you see anything else… weird. Right?”

“Uhhhh,” Nino drifted off. “Yeah, man. You’ll be the first one I call.”   


Adrien tried to laugh, but he was sure it sounded as fake as it was. “Okay. We’ll see you tonight.”

Putting the phone back in his pocket, Adrien noticed that Alix and Kim were looking at him questioningly. “Everything's fine. Nino and Alya just had their own crazy person encounter.” 

“Must be something in the water,” Kim said, shaking his head. “The quicker we get back to the hotel, the better I’ll feel.”   


“Yeah,” Adrien said. “Me too.”


	10. The Rehearsal Dinner

Marinette and Alix made their way to the hotel ballroom together, having just finished the final fitting of Alix’s improved wedding dress, which was packed and ready to go for tomorrow. They had quickly changed and did their makeup in Marinette’s hotel room and were now rushing downstairs, their heels in their hands.

“We’re already five minutes late,” Alix said checking the time on her phone. “Kim’s gonna be pissed I left him alone with my parents.”

“Are they not a big fan of him,” Marinette asked with a laugh.

“Would anyone be,” Alix responded. 

“My parents were,” Marinette said. “But then again they’re almost too nice to hate anyone.”   


Marinette and Alix stumbled to a stop outside of the ballroom and quickly put their shoes on their feet before walking into the room as though they hadn’t just sprinted barefoot through the hotel hallways. Marinette held her head up high, walking with confidence and a refined air, mostly to make up to herself for the undignified way she had appeared in front of the many people they had passed in the hallway. Digging around her purse, she quickly and discreetly pulled out her inhaler. 

“You can count that as your mandatory, daily exercise,” Alix said. “Gotta stay in shape.”

“You know the best thing to come out of this has been that I don’t have to endure Kim’s workouts,” Marinette said with a slight shudder.”

“Lucky,” Alix said. “The one down side of this whole thing. I mean, I love a good workout from time to time. You know that saying, “I know that jogging is good for you-”

“-but, God, at what cost,” Marinette finished for her. They shared a laugh, and Marinette paused as a glass appeared in front of her. She turned her head to see Adrien had joined them. “Oh, thank you.”

“No problem,” Adrien said. “Kim showed me how to make a “Marinette Special.”

“A good man,” Marinette said. “I might indulge myself tonight and steal a sip of a mixed drink from Nino.”

Adrien chuckled as he wrapped an arm around Marinette’s waist and pulled her close to his side. Marinette stilled, feeling her face heat up, and hoping that the red color that was most definitely appearing wouldn’t be too noticeable to those around her. It was strange to think that this might become her new normal. Everything had happened to quickly, and it was beginning to look like Adrien might become a permanent part of her life. She hoped that he would be, but, ultimately, it was up to him. Marinette wouldn’t deny that there was a part of her that was afraid that once this weekend was over, and she had to get back on her plane to New York, Adrien might fly off to some other corner of the world, and this time would be nothing more than a fluke. A couple of good memories of there past might not be enough to convince him to stay.

“Alix, I think the groom was looking for you to come save him,” Adrien said, pointing to a corner of the room where Kim had been cornered by Alix’s father and older brother. 

“Oh,” Alix said and mumbled something under her breath. “Well, I’m going to get a drink and then go deal with that. Marinette, seriously, thanks for all the work you’ve done.”

“Hey,” Marinette said, giving Alix a hug. “It’s no problem. I was happy to help.”

“Are you sure we can’t pay you?”

“Positive,” Marinette said. “You’ve given me a lot of ideas for a bridal line, so I consider that payment enough.”

Alix and Marinette kissed each other’s cheeks before she headed off towards Kim. 

Marinette was suddenly stuck with the thought that she and Adrien were once again alone. She wouldn’t have been bothered by that except for the fact that Adrien seemed extremely calm while she was a mess of nerves, keenly aware of his hand pressing into the small of her back. He was looking at her, his green eyes glittering, the corner of his lips turned up in a well-practiced smirk. It was unfair, so unfair, that Marinette had to endure the deadly charm of Adrien Agreste.

“Mari,” Adrien said. “Are you listening to me?”

“Hmmm, what,” Marinette said, blinking a few times as an attempt to get her poorly functioning brain to restart. “I’m sorry, what were you saying?”

“I said maybe we should go find our table,” Adrien said. He seemed amused as if knew exactly where Marinette’s thoughts had been. 

“Yeah, sure.”

Adrien removed his hand from her waist and offered his arm to her in a gentlemanly fashion. “Shall we, darling?”

“You’re still trying nicknames out,” Marinette said. “You know I was never one for that kind of stuff.”

“Yes, and you never let me call you one before,” Adrien said. “Relationships are about compromise, Mari.”

“See, look, you have a perfectly good one right there.”

“It’s just a shortened version of your name,” Adrien said. “It doesn’t convey anything about how I feel about you.”

Marinette stopped, pulling back her hand from his arm. “How exactly do you feel about me?”

“You’re being a little forward, don’t you think,” Adrien asked, teasingly.

“I prefer to think of it as being candid,” Marinette said. “It took use years last time to admit that we liked each, and I’d like to think that your flirting with me the past couple days isn’t because that’s just the kind of man you’ve become, and I’d like you to confirm that for me. I used to stutter every time I tried to talk to you, but I don’t want to do that anymore, so I’m just going to come out and say it. I adore you, Adrien, possibly even love you. That hasn’t changed since you gave me your umbrella so I wouldn’t get soaked walking home. Maybe I had a brief interlude where you weren’t the only man on my mind, but it’s always been you. And, now I have an illness that isn’t fatal, but it could go that way, so I won’t be wasting any more time dancing around these feelings rather than having a conversation like a mature adult.”

Adrien stayed silent, looking down at his feet as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. Marinette waited breathlessly for an answer, watching him closely for a sign that he would speak. She wouldn’t be calm until then.

“You know,” Adrien said. “You could just say that you love me straight out. You don’t have to be afraid that I’m not going to return your full feelings.” 

Marinette sighed. “Oh, thank god.”

Adrien readily accepted her in his arms as she threw herself to him. With a hand pressed to the back of her head, Marinette buried her face in his chest, her fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt. With a laugh, Marinette whispered in his ear, “The only reason I’m not kissing you right now is that Nino and Alya are watching our every move and I don’t want to shock her into premature labor.”

“Good thinking,” Adrien said, pulling back and looking her in the eye. He brushed her bangs back with his fingers as Marinette adored the content smile on his face. “Literally nothing is going to stop me from kissing you later, you know that right?”

“Of course,” Marinette answered, nodding earnestly. 

As casual as possible, Marinette placed her hand back on Adrien’s arm and completed the short walk to their table. Unfortunately, they couldn’t avoid the grin’s and waggling eyebrows from both Nino and Alya when they reached their destination. Marinette took a seat next to Alya, who was about to open her mouth when Marinette stopped her. “Oh shut up. We’ve hugged before. It’s nothing to get excited over.”

“Uh-huh,” Alya said. “Right, of course, it’s not.” 

“How are you guys,” Adrien asked. “Are you alright? Nino only talked a little bit about what happened.”

“Don’t think I don’t see you changing the subject Agreste,” Alya said, wagging a finger at him. “But, yeah, it was a little terrifying. What about you guys? You had a similar situation?”

“Yeah, but Mari knocked him to the ground in five seconds flat,” Adrien said. “It’s just weird. Something doesn’t sit right with me about it.”

Marinette took a deep breath. Adrien was right, there had been something deeply wrong about what happened earlier this morning. From what Alya and Nino had said, it seemed like both incidents had happened at the same time. The more Marinette thought about it, the day before almost the same thing had happened to her with the guy trying to steal her purse, but they had to be unrelated incidents. She liked the fact even less than both incidents had involved her. 

“I’m sure it’s just something in the water,” Marinette said with a laugh. 

Adrien frowned. He snatched Marinette’s empty water glass from the table and stood up. “Nino, want to come with me to refill the lady’s drinks?”

“Sure, man,” Nino said. As he stood, he pressed a kiss to Alya’s head. “You want the same thing as before, babe?”

“Will you get me ginger ale this time,” Alya said. “My stomachs not feeling so great.”

“No problem,” Nino said. 

Marinette watched as they walked off. No sooner then they had left, Alya leaned over the table closer to Marinette. “So, you gonna tell me what you said to Mr. Sunshine? You looked like you were rambling quite a bit.”

“I wouldn’t call it rambling,” Marinette said. “I was getting it all off my chest. You know, the mature thing to do.”

“Well, I just want to know if pretty boy is planning on staying with you,” Alya said.

“I think that might be a conversation for later,” Marinette said. “But, at least, both of our feelings are out in the open.”

“Good for you girl,” Alya said with a smile as leaned back in her seat, a hand resting on her baby bump. “I’m proud of you.”

********

Adrien was surprised that Nino had held in his questioning until they made it to the bar. 

“So, you and Mari, huh-”

“Nino, I have to ask you something,” Adrien said, turning to his friend with a serious look. It was enough to make Nino turn sober in an instant. “Did the guy who attacked you earlier say anything besides the stuff about someone being inside his head?”

“Uh, no,” Nino said slowly. “Why? You seem a little too freaked out about this?”   


“And, you’re not,” Adrien said. “He attacked your wife, Nino.”

“I’m pissed, yeah,” Nino said. “Look, you’re probably just freaking out because this is like the second time in two days since a crazy guy got near Marinette. That girl is like a magnet for trouble. Always has been.”

“No, something doesn’t feel right to me,” Adrien said, shaking his head. “I just can’t put my finger on it.”

Adrien shut his mouth, clenching his jaw, as Kim joined them at the bar. “You guys feel like you need another drink, too? I don’t know why people go through all this wedding stuff. It seems like more of a pain than it should be.”

Nino only held up his glass in solidarity, saying nothing.

“You seem tense, Adrien,” Kim said. “Seriously, pour yourself like three vodka martinis. You’ll feel a lot better.”

“He’s just freaking out because he thinks there’s something sinister going on with the guy that attacked you guys and Alya and I today,” Nino said.

Kim narrowed his eyes at Nino. “Oh, then I think he’s totally right.”

“Do not mess around with him,” Nino said. “You’re only going to make him spiral further-”

“I’m not kidding,” Kim said. “It’s too much of a coincidence. Today and the day before with the purse stealer dude.”

“Thank you,” Adrien said. “See, I’m not going crazy.”

“Yeah, sure whatever,” Nino said.

“I think we should totally keep an eye out though,” Kim said, taking a sip of his drink. “Something weird is going to happen, and it definitely involves Marinette. It probably has something to do with the fact that she used to be Ladybug. Like, a crazy Hawkmoth revenge plan.”   


Adrien and Nino froze with both their glasses mid-air. Kim continued on as nothing happened. It took a moment before Adrien’s mind cleared, and he laughed. “Okay, Kim, I thought you were being serious, but you were just joking after all. Why am I not surprised?”

Kim turned to both of them, a confused look on his face. “What? I am being serious. Did you guys not know that?”

Adrien could do nothing but stare at Kim. There were a thousand thoughts running through his head, with the underlying constant being that apparently Marinette was Ladybug. The reasons why, and the many different ways, that this was the most incredible revelation of his life weren’t lost on him, though he didn’t have time to unpack all of that. 

“Oh, god,” Adrien said, setting his glass down on the table. “Oh my God.”

“What’s wrong,” Nino said, “What’s happening?”

“Okay the reason they probably attacked you and Alya too is that she either would have been with you or me,” Adrien said. He began walking swiftly back toward the table where Marinette and Alya had been with Nino and Kim hot on his heels. “I mean I’m not exactly sure what sending random people after her, but there are two things that this definitely means.”

“And what’s that,” Nino said, trying to get Adrien to slow down by putting a hand on his shoulder.

Adrien turned towards him, a furious look on his face. “Someone is after Marinette and we are all in danger.”


	11. Five Minutes Till The Beginning of the End

Adrien couldn’t help but go between brushing his hand through his hair and clenching them into fists at his side. He couldn’ be sure something was going to happen now, but he couldn’t just sit around and wait for it to happen. Ladybug was in danger- Marinette was in danger. Sudden memories of the night he and Ladybug- Marinette- defeated Hawkmoth slipped into his mind. He hadn’t felt this same fear since then, only this time neither he nor his partner had their Miraculous with them. Adrien never wanted Plagg back by his side more than now. The Kwami would no doubt call him stupid for being so nervous, which was something Adrien probably needed to hear right about now.

Finally able to see over the crowd of people who were dancing in the middle of the room, Adrien glanced around at the table they had left Marinette and Alya at.

“They’re not there,” Adrien said. He turned around to face Nino and Kim, who had been following close behind. “They’re not there.”

“They couldn’t have to go anywhere too far,” Nino said. “Besides, Alya can barely move on her own at this point and walks at the speed of a baby penguin.”  
“Don’t say that to her face, man,” Kim chuckled. “There’s a very obvious solution here. The only place they could have really gone is the one place that all women go together…”  
Adrien and Nino looked at Kim with blank expressions.

“The bathroom. They went to the bathroom together,” Kim said with a sigh. “Come on guys, this is common knowledge.”

“Okay, Jesus Christ, now who’s stereotyping,” Nino asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Well, you two can go hunt around for them all you want,” Kim said. He jabbed his thumb in the direction of the hall and turned on his heel. “I’m looking there first.”  
Nino watched as Kim left, heading off in the direction of the women’s bathroom. “What are the odds that he actually does find them there?”

********

Marinette leaned up against the door of a bathroom stall as she waited for Alya to finish washing her hands. She examined her nails, ready to get back to the party and to Adrien. Marinette was already trying to formulate what to say to him in her brain. Part of her was just screaming for her to get on her knees and beg him to come back to New York with her. Apparently, he loved her, though he hadn’t said it clearly. Fretting over this now would be silly.

Both Alya and Marinette jumped as the door slammed open and hit the opposite wall. Kim came barreling through. A smile appeared on his face as he noticed them

“Oh, you are here,” Kim said. “I was right. I should have bet money on this.”

“KIM, WHAT THE HELL-”   


“GET OUT-”

“YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN HERE!”   


“Sorry, sorry, don’t kill me,” Kim said, holding up his hands in surrender. “We’re just having a slight problem and I think Adrien and Nino are going to explode if they don’t see you in the next two minutes.”   


“Jesus, what are they up to,” Alya said. “Nino knows better than anyone that I have to pee like every five fucking minutes.”

Marinette pushed herself off of the wall she was leaning on. “When you say “problem” what exactly do you mean?”

“Well,” Kim said scratching the back of his head. “We’re not exactly sure what’s going to happen or if anything is going to happen at all-”

A loud crash sounded throughout the room as one of the covers on the toilets flew off and landed inches away from Marinette’s feet. Kim grabbed onto her shoulders and pulled her back to the far side of the room. Even with the tight grip on her shoulder, Marinette leaned forward peering into the stall. They waited in silence for whatever would happen next. Marinette tensed as what sounded like something bubbling up from the pipes came from inside the stall. At the first sign of pink and yellow spilling out, Marinette pulled Kim and Alya farther back.

“Did somebody drop a Lush bath bomb in there,” Alya said in a quiet voice.

“No,” Kim said. “I’m pretty sure this is the thing that we didn’t know what was going to happen.”

Marinette tugged on the fabric of Kim and Alya’s shirts. Her mind was telling her that this, the colors, the goo like substance, should be familiar to her, but she couldn’t quite place it. “Move, move, move. Move!”   


The trio went barreling out into the hallway, moving swiftly, or as fast as they could with a pregnant Alya in tow. They made their way back to the ballroom. 

“We won’t have much time,” Marinette said. She took one last look down the hallway to see if whatever had appeared was following after them, and shut the door behind as they passed through. “I have no clue what’s going on but we-”

“There you are,” Adrien said, making his way over to them with Nino in tow. He glanced to Kim. “Let me guess, you were right and they were-

“In the bathroom, yeah,” Kim said waving his hand dismissively. “Look we have a bigger problem-” Kim grabbed Marinette’s hand and pulled here away from the door as they backed up. “Someone is definitely after Marinette’s ass, and they’re definitely making a play now. There was this weird shit-”

“Pink and yellow gooey substance,” Marinette interrupted. “This all seems so familiar I just can’t put my finger on it-”

Adrien snapped his fingers. “Horrificator, from back in college. Remember, Mylene got akumatized into that big pink and yellow monster and trapped everyone in goo.”

“But that can’t be possible,” Alya said. “Hawkmoth is gone. Gabriel Agreste is in a mental facility-”

“We can’t rule that out yet,” Adrien said shaking his head. “Someone else could have the Miraculous.”

“Well has anybody seen Mylene,” Marinette said. “That would be the best place to start.”

“Yeah,” Nino said, pointing a finger to the far side of the room. “She’s right over there.”

The group turned their heads in the direction Nino was pointing, and, sure enough, Mylene was standing next to Ivan, dancing with her husband like she didn’t have a care in the world.

“Okay,” Marinette said. “So, akumatization is out. Hopefully, that means that the butterfly miraculous is still safe, but… The peacock miraculous was never recovered.”

“That’s right,” Adrien said. “Wait- Ivan said the other night that Mylene had been having nightmares, and her old headband from college went missing…”

“How do you know that,” Alya said, looking back and forth between Marinette and the rest of the group in confusion. “How do you know that? How can you possibly-”  
“What do we do, my lady,” Adrien said. Marinette turned to meet Adrien’s eyes. He had called her that once before, and at the moment it had felt odd. 

_ Of course, you’ve been here this entire time. It’s not like I needed things to get any more complicated. _

“Why would you ask me,” Marinette said. “I’m not Ladybug anymore, I don’t have the Miraculous. I’m just-”

Marinette clenched her hands into a fist. “You shouldn’t place your trust in me.”

“I have always trusted you,” Adrien said. “You always get the job done, and I’ve think you’ve proven a long time ago that you don’t need a Miraculous to save anyone.”  
Marinette oddly felt as though her nerves were calming with Adrien’s words instead of making her feel more on edge. He truly believed that she could do this, and find a way to help everyone. Adrien held up a fist, holding it out between them. “Come on, what do you say, my lady? For old times sake?”

Marinette cracked a smile, and pressed her fist against his. Unexpectedly, Adrien pushed their palms together and intertwined their fingers. A smile of his own appeared on his face, and after a moment he let go, dropping his hands to his side.

Straightening her spine, Marinette turned around to face the others. Her expression hardened as her mind began to run at a mile a minute. “Kim, it’s your party, take charge and have the guests evacuate through the kitchens. That sentimonster will no doubt be headed this way. Adrien, we don’t have magic, but we should probably find some weapons. I’m not sure what kind of fight this is going to be but it’s best to be prepared.”

“What should we do,” Alya asked.

“You’re leaving with the rest of the guests,” Marinette said. “Alya, you’re pregnant. The only reason Adrien is staying is because I couldn’t stop this dumb cat from doing what he wants even if I died for it. Besides, I’m going to need you to try and convince Chloe to evacuate the rest of the hotel as well. The less civilians we have in the way the better. We should-”  
The room shook as something rammed up against the ballroom doors from the outside. Marinette and Adrien turned and looked at each other, a frightened expression passing across their faces for only a second.

Marinette let out a deep sigh. “Right, so we’re going to have to do all these things at once.”


	12. Going Down

“Everyone, go through the kitchens,” Kim shouted as he grabbed Alix’s hand. The pair rushed off to where their parents were standing to help lead them away. 

“You guys are going to be okay, right,” Alya asked. Marinette gently started pushing them to the doors, nodding frantically. Alya and Nino seemed reluctant to leave.

“Positive,” Marinette said. “Don’t worry about us. We’ve got this handled. Go find Chloe and start evacuating the hotel.”

Nino grabbed Alya by the arm, but before they stepped away, Alya threw her arms around Marinette, almost crushing her with the embrace. 

“Stay safe,” Alya whispered before pulling back and leaving with Nino. 

Marinette felt stuck as she watched them leave. Her friends, the people she’d known for forever, were in danger again, and the fear that she used to feel came rushing back to her, an intense fear that weighed her down. It had always been a reminder of what she was fighting for when she faced off against Akumas and Hawkmoth. Now, it was accompanied by a deep longing to be what she had been before. 

Tikki had always told her that she had never needed the earrings to be Ladybug, but that was before she was sick. Marinette had no idea, hardly a clue, of how long it would be before her strength would leave her and she would start to feel useless. 

The sound of glass breaking broke Marinette’s concentration on her own internal ramblings. In the other corner of the room, Adrien was standing over broken glass and a cracked lampshade and was busy twisting off the bottom of the lamp. With just the pole of the floor lamp left, he swung it around, testing how the weight felt in his grasp. 

“Figured I would need a weapon,” Adrien said, walking back up to Marinette. “You know, if you want to freak out a little bit more… I mean, it’s just me here.”

A loud crash came from the hall, and the doors shook. “I think we don’t have the time to freak out about personal problems,” Marinette said with a nervous smile. “We can somewhat expect what’s going to come through the door. Myura obviously used Mylene’s old Akuma form as a basis.”

“Yeah, giant purple monster,” Adrien nodded. “Last time we- what- defeated it by singing 

that “Smelly Wolf” song.” 

“Yeah, but this isn’t exactly Mylene. It’s a sentimonster,” Marinette said. “We don’t know if that will work. If the sentimonster is here, that means Myaura will be nearby with the object controlling it. We should focus on trying to find them.”

“Well, then I’ll follow your lead, my lady,” Adrien said with the widest grin Marinette had ever seen.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?” Marinette asked. 

“This is the happiest I think I’ve ever seen you.”   


“How could I not be,” Adrien said. The door shook again, and Adrien with his makeshift weapon jumped in front of Marinette. “You’re Marinette, you’re Ladybug. This is the best two-for-one deal in the history of the universe. I’m probably the luckiest black cat ever!”

Looking at Adrien from behind, Marinette could see the shaking of his shoulders even though his entire body was tensed up. She could see the grip on the metal pole shifting ever so slightly. Adrien was scared, that much she could tell. The laughter and smile he put on his face were just a coping mechanism. Marinette suddenly felt as though she was going to be more of a burden in this situation than of help. Part of her could picture him not giving a damn about his well-being or whether he made it out of her in one piece. 

Marinette couldn’t exactly describe herself as being up to par for the task, and Adrien might put more of his energy in protecting her than actually trying to get the job done. 

Racing across to the other side of the room, Marinette took the cords holding the curtains back, tying them together to make one long rope. Her eyes search frantically around the room, looking for something else she could use to make it a bit more effective as an improvised weapon. Pretty much anything thing would do with enough force behind the attack barring that it would shatter on impact. Rushing over to the catering table, she pulled one of the lids off a chafing dish, tying the handle to the end of the rope and swinging it around a few times for practice. 

Marinette made her way back to Adrien, who was still keeping a watchful eye on the door, brows knitted together. She stood at his side now, not taking the original position she had behind him. Adrien’s eyes flitted over to her before looking back at the door, and he repeated the action a few times when she didn’t move from his side.

“What are you doing?” Adrien asked. “Get behind me.”

“Well, I figured if we’re doing this for old times sake,” Marinette said, “We should at least be getting all the details right.” 

“You don’t have a Miraculous,” Adrien said.

“Neither do you,” Marinette countered. “We’re doing this together, Kitty, so don’t think you can just-”

With a slam, the door almost burst off its hinges. Marinette let out a startled gasp. Adrien’s arm instinctively shot out in front of her, and the two started taking a few steps back away from the door, not wanting to get crushed by it in case it came flying at them with the next hit. The game couldn’t be over before they even had a chance to start playing. 

All of a sudden, the slamming on the other side of the door stopped. Complete silence filled the room and the only thing Marinette could hear was Adrien’s shallow breathing beside her. 

“Do- Do you think that’s it?” Adrien asked, sounding a little too hopeful. 

There was a  _ pop,  _ and Marinette looked down at her feet. Her eyes trailed across the floor, moving towards the bottom of the door out to the hall. A purple, bubbling liquid was spilling out beneath the door frame. Marinette’s breath caught in her throat, gripping the fabric of Adrien’s shirt and dragging him back even further. 

“I guess they figured out how to work smarter not harder,” Marinette said through gritted teeth. She squeezed her eyes tight, wracking her brain for a solution. Beyond getting everyone else out of there, Marinette didn’t have a hint of a plan. 

“Should we just… run?” Adrien asked, lowering his weapon slightly. 

Marinette looked between him and the mass of purple goo that was making its way towards them. She bit her lip, trying to see if it was possible for her to come up with a plan in the next five seconds. “I suppose…” she said, moving her hand down from here it was gripping his shirt to take his hand. “We should just try to distract it long enough for everyone to get out safely.” 

Without another word, Marinette pulled Adrien along with her, heading not towards the kitchens, but the elevator. She looked back as much as she could without tripping over her own two feet. Frantically, Adrien pressed on the down button until the doors opened, pulling Marinette inside with him. Marinette didn’t have time to object as Adrien had pressed her up against the back wall of the elevator, his entire body shielding her, their hands still connected. 

The doors were shutting in front of them, but even as they closed and the elevator started moving down, the purple goo tried to push inside, the tiniest bit making its way through at the last second. Adrien stomped on the substance with his foot, smearing it across the elevator in hopes that it wouldn’t keep moving. 

“Press on basement,” Marinette said, pointing at the array of buttons on the wall. Adrien complied immediately. 

Even now, as they were in significantly less danger, Adrien still held her behind him. She could feel the heaving of his chest as her head was pressed up against his back, and even the pounding of his heart. Marinette gripped his hand tighter. 

“Are you scared?” Marinette asked. Noticeably, Adrien tried to calm himself, possibly hoping to hide what she had already figured out. 

She could hear him swallow before he spoke, his voice coming out hoarse and unsteady. “Y-yes.”

Feeling like her stomach was dropping the further the elevator descended, Marinette didn’t see any use in lying, especially when Adrien had been so honest.

“Me-” Marinette stuttered, taking a deep breath. “Me too.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! If you're familiar with this story you may be wondering what the hell took me so long to update. Well, a few weeks ago someone left a comment on this fic and months of me forgetting about it, and well, I read the entire thing again and found myself wondering "When the hell did I write this?" When I had thought I was going to discontinue this fic, I had thought it was complete shit. Last May, I had no love for it at all, but after leaving it for so long I've gained a new perspective on it. I felt inspired to try and work on it again and found myself listening to the music that originally inspired me to write this. I'm very grateful to the people who have continued to comment on this fic even when it seemed like I would never update again. I wouldn't have tried to work on this again without them. Hopefully, I'll be able to retain my motivation and finish it completely.


	13. What once was

Adrien was the first to peek out of the elevator when the doors finally opened. He ensured that Marinette was still behind him as he put himself in danger first. There was nothing much to see in the dark and damp underbelly of the building. Adrien listened acutely for any sounds or signs that the purple blob demon had followed and managed to catch up to them already. Only once he was certain that the coast was clear did he step aside and allow Marinette out of the elevator as well.

He was quite certain that his chivalrous act was going to start getting on her nerves, but her need to be right in the line of danger was going to annoy him as well. You could separate Chat Noir from his Miraculous for years but you could never stop his self-sacrificing stupidity when it came to his lady. If he was being honest, most of Adrien’s anxiety at the moment was coming from the fact that Marinette was in danger right now. Even if she was Ladybug- something that he was still trying to process- he still cared about her more than anything in the world. Probably more than he cared about his own well-being. 

Adrien would be damned if he didn’t get her out of her safely.

Still holding onto Marinette’s hand and keeping a tight grip on the lamp pole with the other, they walked side by side through the labyrinthic basement. They were both trying not to make any noise, but Adrien could still hear Marinette’s breathing. The sound oddly comforted him, and between that and the grip she had on his hand, it was a reminder that she was still by his side. 

Adrien peered around a corner. The walkways were becoming more and more narrows as pipes and electric boxes were getting closer together, and his anxiety was increasing as it became much more difficult to see their surroundings. He was trying to keep a good picture in his mind of which way they had come from in case they needed to make a run for it back to the elevator or stairwell. Marinette was sure to be doing the same. 

“How long do you think until it catches up to us?” Marinette asked. Adrien glanced back at her over his shoulder, watching as she kept her gaze squarely on the ground, most likely watching where her feet were moving. “Five minutes. Maybe three.”

“Can it even move that fast?” Adrien asked, turning his attention back to the front of him. 

“Unfortunately yes,” Marinette said. “I thought Kim, Alya, and I were going to be swallowed up before we even made it out of the bathroom.”

Adrien bit his lower lip. There was one other question in the back of his mind, but he wasn’t entirely sure he even wanted to ask it. “What- What do you think happens if you do?” he managed to get the words out of his mouth. “Get swallowed up, I mean.”   


Marinette was silent for a bit too long before she answered. “Suffocation,” she said finally and as simply as possible. “I’m guessing. We don’t even know what Mayura wants from us yet. She could either be looking to kill us or incapacitate us for a while while she does whatever else she has planned.” 

“Well… fingers crossed it’s the latter,” Adrien said through gritted teeth. 

“We probably shouldn’t go much further,” Marinette said. She slowed her pace, and with her hand still in his, Adrien knew to slow down as well to match her. “We still want an easy escape route, and it’s either the stairs or the sewer. I don’t know about you but I-  _ OH SWEET SUGAR-” _

The hissing sound from the pipe came from above as steam poured out and dosed them, blocking their vision. Marinette’s initial scream had put Adrien into panic mode. He immediately dropped her hand, turning around and pulling her body close to his chest, his arms covering her head. Trying not to trip, Adrien backed them both in between the two of the electrical boxes to their right. There was just enough space for them to squeeze in and Adrien helped Marinette lower down to the ground, propping her back up against the cool metal. 

Setting the metal pole aside, Adrien crouched down in front of her, hands sliding from the back of her head to her cheeks, holding her as gently as possible. Marinette was still breathing heavily. 

“You okay?” Adrien asked. “Breathing alright?”

“Fine,” Marinette said, nodding slowly. “Fine. I’m fine. I think the adrenaline is going to keep me going for a while.” 

Adrien pulled his hand away from her face, clenching it into a tight fist as he tried to control the anger boiling up inside him. When they finally came face to face with Mayura he wouldn’t hesitate to punch her in the face. That battle would surely be over quickly. 

“You should have left with Alya and Nino,” Adrien said. “It would have been much safer. I could have handled this-”

“No.” Marinette shook her head. “Mayura is after me, remember? I would have put everyone else in danger.” 

Adrien scoffed. “I guess Chat Noir isn’t a good enough target. Why you… Why not me?”

“Well, you are the son of her former ally, and if she is carrying out Hawkmoth’s plan then she might be under strict instructions not to harm you,” Marinette spoke quickly, eyes focused nowhere as she rambled off the thoughts running through her mind. She seemed to realize her words moments after she said them, eyes snapping to Adrien with a guilty look on her face. “Sorry.”

“No,” Adrien said, shuffling in the small space so he could sit down next to her, letting his head fall back and rest against the electrical box. “No, you’re right. I am my father’s son.”

Marinette lightly jabbed him in the arm with her elbow. “Well, don’t say it like that,” she said. Marinette scooted closer to him, pressing up against his side, and laying her head on his shoulder. “You’re unfortunately related to the man who-”

“Terrorized the city, hurt the people I love and made my life a living hell in more ways than one.” 

“Who you fought and won against,” Marinette said. “Who you proved you were nothing like by being a hero. Saying that you’re your father’s son is the most untrue thing I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth.” 

Adrien wasn’t sure how to answer her at that point. His hands were resting on his knees, fingers tugging at the fabric of his trousers. It seemed difficult to breathe now, and Adrien gulped for air, reaching up to wear his tie was still tight around his neck loosening it and undoing to the top buttons of his shirt. Once he felt like he could finally get air into his lungs again, Adrien let his head droop until it was resting atop Marinette’s. 

“Do you wonder why it had to happen now?” Adrien asked.

He could hear Marinette sucking in a deep breath beside him. “Of course,” she said. “Why did we deserve the last few peaceful days to be interrupted by this  _ bullshit? _ I came here to enjoy the company of my old friends, see two of them get married, and hang out and try to have fun with everyone. Something that I never got to do as a teenager because I was always seconds away from getting called to go fight for the sake of everyone else and risk my life as a fourteen-year-old because someone thought that I was completely capable and emotionally stable enough to try and do that. And-”

Marinette paused, twisting her neck to look up at Adrien. “I’m rambling now, aren’t I?”

Adrien shook his head slowly as Marinette shifted her gaze downward again. He’d seen her do this before, and she was always much better at vocalizing her feelings when afraid. The last time he’d seen her do this- 

The last time- Marinette was talking about how she thought she was going to lose everything. Two days before the final battle with Hawkmoth. And seven days after that, he had still walked away from her. Adrien had no idea back that then she had been talking about losing being Ladybug as well. When it was all over, he had been too focused on losing being Chat Noir, losing his father, and now he knew that Marinette had been suffering just as he had been. 

“It feels like-” Adrien paused, trying to find the right words. “Feels like this is- Like it’s a second chance, though. Like I could… change everything that went wrong the first time.” 

Marinette just hummed beside him, but it didn’t seem like an agreement. Adrien could feel the dark mood growing and wanted to put a little levity back into the atmosphere. He jabbed Marinette lightly with his elbow, trying to put a smile on his face. “Don’t you at least want an excuse to see me in that leather cat suit again?”   


“Oh, that I wouldn’t mind,” Marinette said. She laughed with him for a few moments before the sigh escaped her and the smile fell off her face as quickly as she had put it on. “Second chances are fine. It’s just that-  _ I _ don’t need to be Ladybug any more. If that’s what people need from me, fine, but- That part of my life has been over and done with for years. Getting sick was the last straw that finally made me let go.” 

Adrien didn’t know what to say in response. He couldn’t say that he felt the same. There were things he hadn’t been able to let go of. It was comforting to know that Marinette had healed from the worst of it, and Adrien wanted to get to where she was. 

“How about I make a promise to you now?” Adrien asked. Marinette lifted her head off of his shoulder. Both of them shifted positions in the small space to stare directly at one another, noses almost touching as they crouched on the balls of their feet. “To make up for the interruption of your peaceful weekend, I will come to New York for a week, and you and I will spend time together. Just the two of us.” 

Marinette’s eyes practically lit up. “Really?” 

“Of course,” Adrien promised again. “It’s not exactly hanging out with all of our old friends-”

“No,” Marinette said, shaking her head. “No, no. No, no, no… I’d be lying if I didn’t say that the person I wanted to see the most here was you.” 

“Then, we can be together and act like dumb teenagers without all the stupid superhero responsibilities,” Adrien said. 

Adrien’s hand was hovering just above her hair, and Marinette looked to be about to open her mouth to speak when a loud _CLANG_ sounded somewhere close by. Within the next second, they were both on high alert. Adrien moved to a higher crouched position and tried to slowly and soundlessly turn himself around to peer out from their hiding spot. He could barely see anything and the lights kept getting dimmer, as though something was starting to cover them up. 

There was another faint sound, growing louder as it seemed to get closer to them. Without looking, Adrien reached to the side and took ahold of his weapon again. He leaned out a little farther, squinting to try and see better until his eyes would finally adjust to the quickly increasing darkness. Now would have been a good time to have his Miraculous. The extra powers of night vision that Plagg could give him would have really helped out in this situation. 

Marinette and Adrien only had each other to rely on now. 

“Whatever’s coming is coming from the opposite direction of the stairwell,” Marinette said in a whisper.

“So, it’s not smart enough to cover our main escape route?” Adrien asked with a hopeful voice.

“Or, it’s trying to drive us back above ground,” Marinette said, standing up as well. “Let’s hope it’s the latter.”  
Adrien couldn’t resist taking her hand again as they quietly tried to slip out from their hiding place and, as quietly as possible, started making their way towards the stairs. “Should we give it what it wants?”  


“Maybe not exactly what it wants,” Marinette said. Adrien kept glancing back at her, watching as her eyes frantically looked around the room. Unexpectedly, she tightened her grip on Adrien’s hand and dragged him off in another direction away from the stairs. They moved through the cramped space between the water pipes and electrical boxes, ending up on the opposite side of the basement. Adrien looked above him to see that Marinette had been following the air ducts this entire time, ending up at the grate that would allow them to enter them. 

Adrien quirked an eyebrow. “Where will we come out-”   


“I don’t know, I don’t have these memorized,” Marinette said. She grabbed onto Adrien’s wrist, holding up the arm that he held the pole in. “You’re going to have to break this open. Quickly.” 

Adrien fumbled for a reason as to why they should just take the stairs back up but could think of any reasonably good ones. Marinette was probably right. Mayura wanted to drive them back up that way, probably straight into a trap. At least changing the game a little would give them a slight advantage. 

“This is definitely going to draw attention to us,” Adrien said, raising the pole to make his first hit. He put every ounce of strength he could to break it open and used his feet to make the final few kicks as the grate bent out of shape and fell inside the vents. Adrien stepped back, gesturing for Marinette to enter first. “After you, my lady.” 

Watching their backs as Marinette crawled in first, Adrien entered quickly after her, bent down uncomfortably on his hands and knees as he tried to squeeze inside. 

“You know now that I think about it,” Adrien said, his voice echoing throughout the cramped space, “I don’t have to try and come up with a nickname for you anymore. My lady fits perfectly already.”

Marinette scoffed from in front of him. “Just crawl, kitty cat.” 

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr: @marvelousmsmol


End file.
